Ignis Rex: Champion Of Fire
by theawesomess1
Summary: —Through the fires of Hell / rises an unending well / No soul deserves saving / Only fire and razing— In the sequel to Ignis Rex: Ignition, the clash of powers could never be greater. Once enemies will be allies, and friends be foes. We know that power corrupts, but are there any immune?
1. Chapter 1: At It Again

**Authors notes will go up here, and at the bottom of the page in bold.**

 **Also imma write a small poem for every chapter! Or find one!**

 **Thanks guys, this is book 2 in the Fire King series. It will be decided into two parts.**

 ** _Part One: Champion Of Fire_**

* * *

 _All things eventually turn to ash_

 _And are left in the distant past_

 _Never to be reborn,_

 _Even as the heart lays torn._

* * *

—January 15, 2023, 4:42

—Floor 1

—Wraith

"Lord, thank You for the people You have divinely placed in my life who speak holy truth, love and words of wisdom." The words flowed out of him as he spoke before the cross.

"Give me a heart of discernment to know when You are using someone to speak instruction into my heart and my circumstances, and give me the strength and courage to follow through with that advice, even when it's hard." His mask was discarded to the side as he prayed to God, his voice raspy and hoarse from underuse.

"Fill me with peace in knowing that even if I take a wrong turn, Your purpose will prevail. In Jesus' Name, Amen." He sat for a moment longer before taking a stand.

He donned his pure white opera mask, taking a look around the ruins of the church. He found the place only a week ago, and had been going here every day since, in fact, he never really left.. The pews were rotting, and falling apart, the stone was growing moss in several places. Half of the roof had collapsed inward, making a large pile of wood off to the right. None of the windows had the beautiful stained glass that probably once adorned this sacred building.

The one thing still completely intact were the heavy oak doors at the entrance. They stood solid against the howling wind outside. There were two doors on either side of the cross at the front, behind the pew. Both were locked, and Wraith didn't try forcing them open, deciding not to further damage the House Of The Lord.

He equipped his taidachi sword again, feeling it's reassuring weight settle on his back. He refused to pray with a weapon on, feeling that was somehow against an ancient code. He didn't know if it was, it just felt wrong.

He turned to go outside and hunt some Wolves for food. Right before he reached the huge doors, he heard the creak of one opening behind him.

* * *

—Floor 7

— Aoki

She stretched, having just lain on a bed. The eighth floor had been unlocked only hours previous, and she was tired. Sure, she didn't do much (any) of the fighting, but it was still exhausting, running around, delivering health potions to the fallen people, and helping them get out of the way of harm.

She yawned, relaxing in the cool comfort of the bed. Her sore muscles made her skeptical of the [Pain Absorber]'s effectiveness, but nonetheless, sleep came easy to her.

Even though she was trying to get some rest in before she was supposed to meet a client only a few hours from then, someone decided to wake her from the beginning stages of sleep with a pm.

Sender: Kora

Message: "we need you at the BIP within one hour. Important meeting"

"Fuck you, Kora. Fuck you and your 'we'" she groaned, standing on weary legs.

She pulled a cloak around her, and quickly made her way to the teleport gate, silently coming up with the exact names she wants to call Kora for waking her up, breaking one of her sacred rules.

The fortress of steel loomed over her as she jogged into it, the pillars of solid dark metal sucking the very warmth from her bones. She ignored the cold sensation creeping up her spine, and took the specific set of halls that led to their designated room, given to them by Kibaou, the head of the most powerful guild in SAO, the Aincrad Liberation Force.

When she heaved on the solid iron door, she found the rest of her guild there, minus three. "Hey, where is Wraith?" She asked, the first she noticed wasn't there.

"Don't know. He hasn't shown up to anything for a week now, beginning to fear for him" Kora said in his husky voice, scratching the stubble of a beard on his chin.

Aoki opened her menu, and checked her [Friends List], glad to see his name still there. 'At least he isn't dead' she thought.

Then she could sense people coming up behind her. She turned, and held out her arms, offering Teika a hug.

He smiled a bit, and accepted, happy to see his friend. They haven't actually had time to sit down and talk for the past week, as the mages (minus Wraith) were very busy fighting through labyrinth after labyrinth, clearing the floors almost as fast as they were put in front of them.

As soon as Teika released her, Silica came up for a hug also. The brief greetings were all they got however, as Kibaou decided just then to walk in.

His spiky brown hair and hard scowl were his most key features, but his eyes shone with a cunning uniqueness to them. His standard green cape, adorning darker armor fluttered behind him.

"Sorry I'm late. Meeting ran longer than I expected" he said. He took a position at the circular table that they always met at. When everyone was seated, he began speaking.

"I want you guys to take a break from clearing for a week. You have been doing the majority of the work, and to be completely honest, no one is leveling enough to keep up." He clasped his hands in front of him, looking everyone in the eyes.

"Eventually, we are going to get to a boss you can't take on, and we will need the rest of the Assault Team to be strong enough to help fight." Kora, Teika, Silica and the rest of the non-mages nodded.

"One little problem" came the bored drawl of the blonde Ice Mage. "We gain power and strength the same way you do, by defeating enemies. The stronger the enemy, the larger the reward for us"

"Ok, continue" Kibaou said, as though it wasn't evident.

"So" the blonde squinted. "How do you expect us to get more powerful, if you take away the biggest and strongest enemies we can face?"

"I want you to find a [Campaign] to do, like the [Elf War] or something. There are quests all over this damned floor alone, I am sure you can find something." He looked at Kora. "This sound ok to you?"

The leader thought for a moment. "Fine, but as soon as we are ready, we need to be the front line when assaulting again, I don't want the Mages, our main fighting force, sidelined."

Kibaou nodded. "Of course, of course" he then stood. "I will tell Argo to give you information on the best quests."

He turned around to leave, then remembered something. "One last item on the agenda. There is growing support for your efforts among the general populous, but there is also growing hate. There are numerous people who strongly dislike you, and believe in what Lind did, that you should either be on a leash, or dead"

"So, I don't want you traveling in a group less than three, got it?" There were nods and verbal confirmations around the room.

As he left, Teika turned towards Aoki. "Wanna go and grab a bite? My treat" he asked, Silica smiling to her.

"Sure! I would love to!" Came her reply, and they fell in step on their way out, chatting about nonsense.

* * *

— 4:54

—Floor 1

—Wraith

His taidachi was drawn as he whipped around, eyes flickering towards the two doors. Neither door was notably different from where he was standing, but he didn't move, holding his blade in his right hand with his left extended in front of him.

'Don't do it Isaac' he thought to himself. Curiosity won, and he took a step forward. Followed by another. And another.

Soon, he was at the altar that the preacher would normally speak at, the wooden cross propped on the wall behind it. The door to his left was open just slightly. Wraith lowered the tip of his sword, ready to thrust into whatever attacked him.

His eyes searched the ground, and found a relatively large stick, and lifted it, using it to push the door further open. It creaked, but nothing jumped at him.

Beyond the barrier, there was a stone staircase leading downwards in a spiral. The torches along the wall of the staircase burst into dark blue flame, no heat being given off.

Fighting himself each and every step of the way, he walked forward towards the stairs leading towards the unknown, a darkness beneath that seemed to call his name. Seemed to whisper words of death and hunger.

'This is floor one. I am level 16. I am pretty sure I can take on anything down here' he reasoned, and started walking with more purpose.

The staircase lead to an open chamber, a coffin on the opposite side of the room. In the center of the room, a massive pentagram painted with a dark color surrounded a hole that was at least four meters wide.

The air was heavy, and it was hard for Wraith to breathe underneath his mask. His white cloak was weighing him down, although it never bothered him before. This whole room was off.

And the smell wasn't helping either. It was sickly sweet, and metallic. Anyone knew this smell, but he had never had so much of it attack his senses at once. And it was coming from the hole.

A sound, deep and low like a bass synthesizer shook the room. Wraith looked around him, the blue-flame torches raising in height and intensity, without emanating more light. The telling click of a lock echoed down the stairs, telling him he wasn't allowed to escape.

A notice popped up on his HUD. "Notice: Light Magic disabled". 'Shit'

 _ **Bloodborne soundtrack ost - laurence the first vicar**_

*Wraith*

The voice reverberated through his very core, shaking his bones, and turning his stomach into a gelatin.

*Your allegiance with the Light disgusts me*

Wraith grunted slightly, pressing his left hand to his temple, a throb starting there. The low vibrations had turned into a pulse, a beat. A heartbeat.

"What…. are you…?" Wraith asked, the pressure in the room increasing. His headache worsened.

*I am one of the oldest beings created in Existence.*

Wraith's sword dropped from his hands, and he was forced to his knees suddenly.

*Pitiful Wraith. Did you really think you could have saved her?*

A vision was forced into his mind. It was of the day, weeks ago. The blonde girl he counted as his best friend sauntered towards him, a confident smile on her face. Her rapier being sheathed by her side, and before Wraith could react, the longsword raised, and cleaved through her neck.

Wraith shook his head, clearing the image that has haunted him for some time, but only in the back of his head.

"Why do you show me this?" He demanded, trying to force himself to his feet.

*Why do you resist fate?*

"Fate doesn't exist" he grunted, succeeding in standing. "I choose my own path."

*Free Will is a lie produced by the strong so the weak think they can escape what will be forced upon them.*

"I don't believe that" Wraith grunted, his knees locked to keep from buckling.

*Do not resist me. I am among Gods. Kneel to me. Submit to me.*

"I kneel to one God. And He isn't you."

The weight lifted off of him, and he immediately reached down, grabbing the comforting hilt of his taidachi. He gripped it, widened his stance, and held it firm.

*We will meet again, Wraith. Until then, have fun.*

The vibrations left, and the hole filled with a dark red light.

The torches around him turned scarlet as a shadow floated out of the hole, forming a humanoid shape. Above it's head appeared [Anane, Dawn of Armageddon].

'Shit' he repeated in his head.

The shadow solidified and formed well toned muscles, bulging underneath black skin…. if you can call that skin.

The red eyes formed, no pupils or irises sitting within. The whole body formed in less than thirty seconds.

"Wraith, bringer of Light. Expeller of Darkness. I shall bring you to your knees, and exterminate you from this world." its exceptionally deep voice boomed throughout the stone room.

"Well, Anane, I would prefer not being 'exterminated' just yet. Have a few things to do first."

"Then a battle it shall be" four health bars appeared next to its head, and boss music started playing.

As soon as there was no way out of this, Wraith darted forward, feinting left, and slicing wide with his blade.

A sword of darkness formed, and moved faster than Wraith could react, blocking the arcing Japanese steel.

A ring echoed about, both combatants unmoving. One from confidence, the other from shock.

"You are nothing without your powers, Light" the thing guffawed. "My Lord told me not to underestimate you, but it seems you are not even worth my time."

Wraith lept backwards, skidding to a halt. He hadn't met anything that fast before, ever. Usually, that feint would fool even the computer controlled enemies. But whatever this was, it was something more.

'Shit'

It moved.

It's blade of shadow arced, and Wraith stumbles to keep up, parrying and blocking as fast as his reactions would allow. But the barrage continued, and he was pressed backwards, slowly but surely.

Anane swung straight down, and the Light Mage barely managed to get his own blade above his head before the clang, and impact. Forced down to a knee, Wraith groaned, every muscle tense as he tried to force himself up. But he couldn't. This…. thing was holding him down with one hand.

"It seems the great and mighty Banisher Of Darkness has fallen to me! Haha! Wait until my Lord hears about this!" Anane laughed, backing away.

'I cannot land a blow against him like this. Damnit!' He swore in his head.

"I refuse to die yet." He spat. "I refuse to die today!" Wraith raised a hand to his face, and tore off his mask, discarding it.

"I refuse to be sit scared in the dark, shying away from whatever happens to pop out of the shadows"

He rushed forward, sword trailing slightly behind him, glowing with a fierce blue light. When he was two meters from Anane, he swung, the System speeding his movements.

The Demon sneered, blocking the horizontal arc of glowing steel. Wraith let it rebound, chaining another skill, his body moving by itself without his command.

"I refuse to go down without putting up a hell of a fight!" He cried out, striking Anane's defence over and over.

"Pitiful!" Came the reply, and Anane parried a strike, sending Wraith back. He followed it up with a kick, sending Wraith flying. "How can beings so useless as humans exist?" He laughed.

The Mage lay there, will broken. 'I tried… and….. couldn't.'

"Get up, Wraith" a soft voice floated to him. "Get up."

"I can't" he grumbled, Anane pacing back and forth, enjoying his victory, ignoring the pesky insect of an opponent.

"Get up! You can't die yet! You said so yourself!"

Wraith opened his eyes, and saw the blonde smiling face he knew all too well. "I can't. It's all for nothing"

"You can! You can fight on! At least until help arrives!"

"No one is coming…." Wraith's eyes shut, resigned.

"Get up. For me"

This got him moving. "For you"

* * *

She lifted herself off of the bed, opening her eyes. She managed to get Wraith to fight on, to buy some time until she could make it. But could she in time? She quickly moved to the center of the room, which was thick with fumes of a cooking potion.

Satome stirred a cauldron, a bubbling clear liquid inside. It smelled rancid, but most potions did while being brewed. She sat back, huffing from the exertion. This was almost done. She had been making this in secret for a while now, keeping it from Kayaba.

But she had to finish now. Wraith was in trouble. She didn't really care if he died or not, but she didn't want anyone else to have the chance at that power, and possibly have them siding against the Alliance… or worse, LC. So, it was currently in her best interests to help him somehow.

She looked to her crystal ball, sitting on a wooden table. She saw the the White Mage was being knocked around, unable to fend off Anane's attacks. He wouldn't last much longer.

It was too early. The potion wasn't finished. It still ended another two minutes…. but she didn't have two minutes. Running forward, she drew out a flask she swiped from Kayaba while he wasn't looking, dipped it into the clear liquid. She brought the potion to her lips, and quickly downed the bitter drink.

The effects activated immediately, her max health nearly doubling. At the cost of all her other stats, but for her purposes, her other stats didn't matter.

"Grant me the power to move through the confines of space. Teleport me to Wraith!"

* * *

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 **and go ahead and be honest. Don't apologize for rude reviews, as long as they are backed up. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2- Dark and Light

**Hey guys! Good to see y'all again!**

 **Gothgod: I hope you like Wraith!**

 **failtastic: waited for ya bro!**

 **thunderwolf: glad you like! Hope I can please more!**

 **den: forgot there is magic? That's my thing bro!**

 **Now a tribute to the peeps who have favorited:**

 **Den3424**

 **WeirdoHasARayGUN**

 **gothgod9415**

 **And now for the followers!**

 **Den3424**

 **FailtasticBelt**

 **Mudkip172**

 **gothgod9415**

 **now, without further ado, here we go. Chapter 2!**

 _ **Part one: Champion Of Fire**_

* * *

 _All hail, the Angel of Light_

 _Let his flame burn forever bright_

 _And rise against the unforgiving King_

 _And swear fealty to a new ring._

* * *

— January 15, 2023. 4:52

— Floor 1

— Wraith

He picked himself up off of the ground, gripping his Japanese sword tight. The figure made of shadows paced towards him slowly, stalking its prey. Darkness seemed to spill from its flesh (if you could even call it flesh), peeling off in sheets of fine misty clouds, evaporating into the air.

"Can you not even fight for yourself? Pitiful" [Anane, Dawn of Armageddon] stated. "You truly don't even deserve to live."

Wraith planted his feet on the ground firmly, eyes flickering towards his HP, already halfway depleted.

'Dear Lord, I would really like a little help right now' he thought. Sneering behind his mask. 'I would prefer not dying yet'

It was four meters away, and it rushed him, slicing diagonally. Wraith used the skill [Parry], but Anane managed to power right through it. Cutting him from shoulder to hip, the Dawn of Armageddon followed up with a stab.

Wraith hung their, watching his HP tick down, slowly but surely. And if he fought back, it would speed up. He sneered again.

Backing up off the blade, he swiped horizontally, Anane ducking. Wraith then twirled, foot lurching out, and connecting with Ananes side, where it stopped, all the force doing nothing to dislodge this demon.

"That was rather a good display of will, its a sub-par showing of strength" it laughed out. "Accept fate. The Light will fall"

A blinding flash followed by an explosion resonated through the chamber, forcing Anane and Wraith in opposite directions.

His HP in the red now, a faint beeping warning him of the dismal likelihood of survival, he rolled over, head throbbing from the flash, body winded from the impact. With the wall beside him.

There was a girl standing directly where Wraith was about to die. Her hair was a sterling silver color, made of moon rays. Her form was thin, scrawny, and covered with a black dress, with little flecks of color, like stars in the night sky. Her skin was pale, like she hasn't seen the sun at all for quite a while. She seemed to live in the shadows. No, she was the shadows.

She was facing Anane, who was trying to stand, groaning from the impact. He didn't look as fazed as Wraith felt, but still stunned from being flung almost ten meters.

"Who dares to interfere with my work?" He growled, rubbing his eyes.

When he looked at the girl, his eyes of red death opened wide, and immediately dropped to a kneel.

"My queen! I am humbly sorry for my insolence!" His head lowered, he was in perfect submission.

Wraith tried to clamber to his feet, and the girl spoke. "This person is now under my protection. If you try to assault him, you will have to deal with me."

Her voice floated softly, yet firmly. Carrying a tone that would not take any bullshit from anyone.

"But my Lord has-" he started before being interrupted by this girl.

"I do not care what your Lord has said. I am saying that if you try and harm this person, I will personally execute you" she turned to steel, not willing any compromise.

"Yes ma'am" came the whisper of a reply, and the thing of shadows melted away, gone.

Then the girl collapsed.

Wraith ran to her side, turning her on her back. Her face was even paler than her arms. He felt on her neck for a pulse, and the fluttering heartbeat was weak, but fast.

Notice: Light Magic enabled.

'Yes!'

Wraith put a hand on the girls forehead, and one on her stomach. Her HP bar appeared before him, one of the perks of being the White Mage. His eyes widened behind the mask, hers lower than his own. He would have thought her dead, if not for the blinking corner of red flashing on the edge.

"[Sana]" he said. "Heal"

Her bar started filling slowly,but her color wasn't restored. That was from exhaustion, not lack of HP.

He slumped back, the rest of his mental stamina being drained while her life refilled.

Before he blacked out, he placed a hand on his chest, and repeated the spell.

* * *

—Satome

She sat up quickly, looking around her. The stone chamber's torches still burned a deep blue, and the hole remained in the center, with its pentagram of dark, metal-smelling liquid around it.

She stood up, wobbling a little, and brushed the dirt off of her dress. And then she turned towards the figure in a black cloak, laying less than a meter from her. She then checked her health, which she found at about half.

Stretching, she walked quickly over to the White Mage, looking over his body for any fatal wounds. Finding none, she looked towards the hole in the ground.

*Dear apostle, it is nice.*

The words seemed to emanate from the very walls, shaking her bones, and making her teeth chatter slightly from the vibrations

"I am no ones' 'apostle'" she said, voice ice.

*Are you sure about that?*

She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted.

*Who do you think gave you those abilities? I did. And by simply having them, you subject yourself to me.*

"I don't-"

*You are mine, Dark Mage.*

Her hand was being raised. Eyes wide, arm tense, she fought it, but the hand in front of her clenched into a fist.

*You think you have control? Heh. As Anane said, how pitiful.*

Her limb came back under her control, being forced down to her side. Panting from exhaustion, her heart raced with fear.

*Remember. You are mine. And don't think about telling the Light Mage. We will speak again.*

She heard Wraith groan behind her, and she whipped around, watching him struggle to his feet.

His tanned face was slightly scared, but full of life and energy. His eyes scanned her face and body, trying to recognize her.

"Thanks" He said curtly, looking around.

"Your welcome" Sato replied, bowing.

He ignored the gesture, and found his white mask, donning it. He faced the casket on the opposite side of the chamber to the door, and walked towards it briskly.

Reaching the seven foot long wooden box, he felt around the front of it for a niche to open it.

Sato strolled over to the staircase leading to the door out. "You coming?" She called out.

Wraith held up a finger, and she sighed in frustration. Then she heard a click coming from the coffin, and Wraith lifted the lid. Sato jogged over to see what was inside.

He was perfectly preserved, hair a dirty blonde, skin still tan and flushed. He wore the dark robes of the clergy, and clutched a hand-and-a-half European longsword. A notice appeared in front of them both.

"You have completed Part 1, Chapter 1 of the Holy War. Would you like to continue?"

The pair exchanged a glance.

"I have a feeling you and i will be working together for a while." Sato said, prompting a response.

Wraith nodded, eyes obscured by his black lenses.

"My name is Satome. In here I am called Shadow" she was trying to bridge the tension between them. "I am the Dark Mage, the sixth and final one"

Wraith nodded. "Isaac. Light Mage"

Sato smiled. "Not much of a talker to other people, huh?"

She punched the 'confirm' button before her, and Wraith mimicked the motion.

"Let's change that. I am going to cast a spell so we can communicate without speaking, ok?"

Wraith hesitated before nodding.

Sato placed a hand on Wraith's chest. "[Anima Vinculum]. Soul Bond" her whisper barely made it to his ears before it reacted.

A pentagram of purple energy swirled on the ground around them, and a strong wind blew despite the fact they were indoors.

The spot on his chest where her hand was touching started glowing the same deep purple. The veins of her exposed arm turned black, creeping towards Wraith and he gulped.

As soon as the black reached him, he felt lightning go through him, and he fell to his knees. The smell of ozone filled the air, and the unholy light faded.

Sato also collapsed, the spell exhausting as well as draining on her HP.

'It took down a whole third. Damn, that is costly' she thought, and groaned.

«Did it work?» she thought to Wraith.

She saw him stop moving.

«You are in my head» came his response.

«That is how this works» Sato sighed in exasperation.

«Can you hear all of my thoughts?» he seemed a little panicked.

Sato laughed. «No, just when you think about me. Basically, it's pm-ing without hitting the 'send' button»

«it's just like pm-ing? Send» Sato blinked at the reply.

«You don't have to think 'send'» she thought, standing up and brushing off her black dress.

«Now that you call it pm-ing, it's hard not to think of that. Send»

Sato groaned. «This is going to get really annoying really fast»

«Sorry. Send»

«Let's just get out of here, and continue whatever campaign this is»

«Good idea. But i would like to get my stuff repaired first, and maybe send a message to the rest of my guild. Send» he also stood, and followed her as she walked towards the stairs.

«it's already annoying» she thought back to him, stomping up the stairs.

«Sorry. Send»

They reached the top of the staircase, and Sato grabbed the iron handle of the door, and shook it, yielding nothing.

«How do we get out? Send»

"We can talk out loud, you know" Sato said, turning and looking at Wraith.

«I don't like talking much. Send» the white mask staring back at her almost seemed mocking to Sato.

"Well, whatever." She turned towards the door again.

«So? How do we get out? Maybe another exit? Send»

"I really don't care if there is another exit. I don't feel like looking for it" she answered out loud.

She placed a hand on the door, closing her eyes. "[Repellam]! Repulse!"

The same demonic symbol appeared, but this time on the door, and there was a loud boom!

Splinters flew everywhere, and Wraith's jaw dropped as the door fractured into millions of pieces, that mostly flew outward, away from the pair.

«Damn. Send» she heard in her head.

"Yup. Little fun to play with" she commented, sounding a little cocky.

"But there is a major downside, and that is all of my spells drain my HP" she sighed. "So I do have a limit"

"[Sana]" she heard behind her, and instantly felt rested. Her HP started regenerating slowly from the quarter that remained to about two thirds.

«And I can heal that. Send»

She smiled. "We will make a very interesting team".

«Very hard to defeat at the least. Send»

They emerged from the doorway, and started towards the nearest Town, Wraith leading.

Sato smiled. 'Maybe strong enough to protect Riko…'

* * *

—January 15, 2023. 17:34

—Floor 5

— Yoriko

Fuck everything. Fuck the sun which beat down on her, fuck the sand which got everywhere, even where she had 3 layers of clothing. And most of all, fuck the people who brought her here.

She held a water skin above her lips, and the few drops that remained fell into her mouth. Fuck that too. She replaced the empty sack at her belt inside her cloak.

"Why do we have to be here again?" She whined.

The five of them all wore black cloaks, and looked like edgy thieves. She hated the color black, but she wore it because Sato told her to tolerate these fuckers. And why in the actual name of fuck were they wearing black in the fucking desert?!

"Because there is a boss here that drops rare armor." PoH, their leader explained.

Underneath the cowl pulled down, he was quite handsome. He was twenty years old, had long black hair, that waved down his head to his shoulders, and the stubble of a beard growing.

"And if we can get a few sets of that rare armor, then we can set our sights higher." His voice seemed to float on the wind that tore sand across her cheeks.

"And why do I have to be here?" She demanded, taking a few steps before stumbling.

PoH turned towards her, holding out a helping hand. "Because I want to personally keep an eye on you. I don't fully trust the rest of my comrades" the last sentence was barely loud enough to reach her ears.

When she was standing, PoH seemed to pause for a second before turning around, and crouching. "Climb on" he offered.

"I can walk, thank you!" She huffed. "I am not a delicate 'damsel in distress'!"

"I know that, but you are tired. We have been walking for hours. It's hot, and I am sure you are sore by this point. I am offering help to a friend, not to a damsel"

His argument was convincing…. and true…

She grunted. "Fine"

She wrapped her arms around his upper chest, and latched her legs to his lower torso. His arms held her legs firmly. He lifted himself, and trudged on, not complaining.

The whole map was a desert. One big fucking desert. They had been traversing from the entrance at the east towards the west for the past four hours. It felt like it was 45 degrees centigrade out here, and it was really tiring for Riko.

She buried her face into the back of his neck to escape the invasive grains of sand, ripping around them. After about thirty minutes, Riko bit her tongue firmly, trying to get her mouth to produce saliva.

"Here" she heard, and looked up to see PoH holding a sack over his shoulder.

"Are you sure?" She asked. She had emptied hers a while back, and he was offering his precious water to her.

"Yeah, just take it". He responded, pushing it a little further.

She grabbed the skin, popped open the top with her thumb, and placed the opening to her lips. She took a small sip, the liquid almost burning down her dry throat. She closed it, and handed the sack back to PoH, who latched it to his belt expertly with one hand.

"PoH!" Came a shout from the right. "We got a cave over here!"

PoH stopped, and turned towards the call. "Good job, Nobel!" He answered, and started walking over there. "We will go ahead and camp there"

The rest of the gang followed soon after, PoH bringing up the rear. When they cleared a crest, Riko peered over PoH's shoulder. It could have easily been missed. The dune looked like any other, except the shadow at the front was weird.

'That's not a shadow, that's an entrance' she realized.

When they entered, her eyes adjusted quickly. The cave angled downwards, And was actually pretty cool. She dropped off of PoH, and started walking around. The ground was solid sandstone, and extended further than the light reflecting off of the sand outside would allow her to see.

"Hello!" She called, and was immediately hushed by the other figures. Her voice echoed back to her after a second, followed by the shushing.

"We don't want to announce our presence to anything hostile!" Nobel scolded quietly.

"Cut her a little slack" PoH said. "She hasn't ever done this before."

"You would think it's common sense!" Nobel persisted. She could have aggroed something!"

"And if she has alerted a hostile, I will deal with it" PoH dismissed.

He turned to her. "There is nothing wrong with curiosity. Just please be a little more cautious next time."

Riko nodded, "yes PoH." She said.

He smiled. "You wanna explore for a bit?"

Riko looked at him, seeing if he was serious. "Hell yeah!"

That was her favorite part of traveling. The exploring new parts, finding new things. PoH lead the way into the dark, pulling out a torch from his inventory. He lit the stick, and handed it to Riko.

"I can see in the dark, I don't need a torch" he explained to her quizzical gaze. "Follow behind me, just in case something appears."

"Ok" she responded, trailing a little. They kept walking, and she studied the ground, curiosity compelling her to stop every now and then, and pocket an interesting looking stone. One of them had a faint green glow to it, and she stared at it for a while. "Hey, PoH! Look at what I found!"

He turned towards her, strolling over. "Looks pretty. Could probably be broken down into smaller chunks for jewelry or embroidery."

She smiled, putting the fist sized stone in her pocket. PoH lead the way deeper into the cave, further than Riko thought possible. Then she heard a dripping.

"Do you hear that?" She asked PoH. "Water!"

"Yup. Been walking towards it for a bit. Gonna see if we can refill our skins" he said, picking up the pace a little bit. After a few minutes, her torchlight reflected off the top of the rippling surface of a pool.

"Yessssss!" She exclaimed. She bent over, dropping the torch beside her. She used her hands, bringing water to her mouth in gulps that wouldn't satisfy her.

"Careful!" PoH cautioned. "Might be poisonous!"

She stopped, and waited a moment for any effects to take hold before diving back in.

The liquid was heaven to her, sating the dryness of her throat. She didn't stop for minutes, before leaning back, sighing in contentment. "That tasted better than anything else I have had" she said.

PoH laughed. "I would not challenge that."

He bent over, and took a few mouthfuls for himself, and then filled his skin. She copied him, both sitting in silence, letting the sound of a small waterfall fill the area.

When they both were done, Riko spoke. "PoH…."

"Yeah?" He said, looking at her with his dark brown eyes.

"Imma take a bath… would you… stand guard?" Her timid question was barely audible over the waterfall.

"Of course. And I promise not to peek"

She blushed harder. "You better not!" She raised a fist. "Or I will make your life hell!"

PoH laughed, and turned around, walking a few paces, and sitting down. "Take your time. We are in no hurry."

She quickly stripped of her clothing, discarding them at the side of the pool. She lowered a foot, and stepped into the pool. It went up to the middle of her chest. She started scrubbing her skin hard, getting the sand and grit out of it.

"Hey, throw your clothes over here. I will get the sand out of them" PoH offered, not looking backwards.

"Thanks" She called back, reaching for her garments, chucking them the four meters where PoH was sitting by the torch.

"No prob" he replied, standing, and shaking the cloth hard to expel the grains.

Riko finished scrubbing her skin and hair, which took all of thirty minutes,and climbed out. She pulled out a spare tunic from her inventory, and donned it.

It clung to her wet body a little more than she would like, considering she was with a group of adult males, but PoH would keep them from doing anything to her.

She approached PoH. "Ready" She said, and picked up the torch.

He stood. "Cool. We are going to camp here for the night."

She nodded. "And tomorrow?"

"We will start earlier than we did today, probably around eight. And walk until we either find our target, or until thirteen. Then we will actively search out a place to wait out the heat."

When they arrived back to the others, a camp was already set up, with a fire right outside, and an animal rotating on a spit over it. The smell assaulted her nose in a way that made her mouth water with anticipation, and her stomach growl in demand.

PoH chuckled, and said "it smells ready! We sure made it perfectly in time. Pass some around to everyone."

Nobel hopped up, pulling out a knife and some ceramic plates PoH had bought a while ago, with the preface "We may travel like the poor, but I refuse to eat like the poor."

They certainly did not eat like the poor.

 **And then there are those who buy the 30 cents ramen noodles... silent prayer to our lost brothers in the hell known as College...**

 **hope you liked! I try to put some humor in my stories. Would love reviews, follows, favs, pm's, anything!**


	3. Chapter 3-The Damned Sing

**IIIIIMMMMMM BAAAAAAAAAAACK!**

 **As I have major tests coming up, I might not be able to post as often, but stay with me!**

 **thanks to everyone for their thoughts, and to my faithful followers!**

 **special thanks to Fail-senpai! for beta-ing this chapter!**

 _ **Part One: Champion Of Fire**_

* * *

 _Beat your drum with might,_

 _Power on through the night_

 _Feel the dragon's wings_

 _And hear the wind sing_

* * *

—January 17, 2023. 22:51

—Floor 74

—Kayaba

Winds fiercely whipped his cloak, a cloth pulled tight around a broad frame. A white cape was tattered with wear and tear, but still remained in use by him, who purposefully marched up a mountain. He gasped as stone beneath his right foot gave way, arm shooting out, grabbing a ledge to steady himself. Kayaba sighed in relief, his grip firm.

'That would have been a nasty bump to sleep off' he thought, peering over the edge. Chuckling nervously, he continued his trek, briefly hauling himself out.

Jagged faces covered this mountain, a trail of only slight incline going through sharp peaks. Travel, however, was deceptively simple. Clawing winds tore at him, cracked and eroded rock threatening to crumble with every step. Despite an incessant howling of weaponized air, Kayaba persisted, his destination was close.

A cave entrance, whose maw forced wind to route with its imposing mass. He withdrew a torch, its tip lit by mechanics of his fabrication, stepping into an underbelly of stone.

Stalagmites and stalactites passed on either side, Kayaba counting each to assure he was correct in his direction. Water dripped off to his right, turning instinctively towards it. Finding a pristine, albeit miniscule pool fed from ice and snow above surface, he turned left, going through another tunnel. Another light-less decline awaited, its descent slight.

Thick hide boots clacked on gravel and rock, one of few noises accompanying Kayaba, accompanied only by torch and his own discrete breathing. Wind could no longer be heard, nor water's steady drip, an almost unnerving quiet emanating from the titanic mountain, whose shadow he had entered. With a darkness unlike night, his mind subconsciously switched gears, investing greater faculties to hearing.

It felt like days, but had only been hours, even minutes before another sound reached his ears. A roar, perhaps dull grumblings of a gargantuan beast bellowing far below. Piercing through kilometers of rock and stone, Kayaba was coupled to a cold, taking a trip down his spine. Kayaba shook his head with a smile.

Maybe he had done it…

Or maybe it ate him….

Everything depended on minute, exact, and intricate parts. His machine's had all but one purpose, capitulating Cardinal from within. Knowing full well what such intelligence possessed, the world's Mages were insufficient in their capacity to contain, if even resist...

'Enough with the damn ellipses already' he thought to himself. 'Just finish your thoughts'

"Was wondering when you'd show up."

It came from his right, clear despite its reflecting off cave walls. Kayaba smiled, a voice belonging to a human of barely adolescent age convincing him to turn. Out of the black blankets of dust emerged one such kid, whose dark skin and hair made him almost invisible. Familiar with his native appearance, Kayaba picked him out of such bleak lighting.

"Well, how's it doing?" Kayaba looked down.

"She's doing great." Kayaba's teenage caretaker laughed, hoarse and dry. "Even bigger than we thought she'd get."

"How big?" Kayaba squinted. "I'm a scientist, I need objectives, not subjectives."

"At least forty meters at full length, from shoulder to ground is about ten meters, and span's at least fifty meters! Damn huge!" He managed to stop laughing after a minute. "Damn thing has been a bitch to feed. Eating everything I catch. Pretty sure there aren't any more mobs around here."

The older man sighed, scratching his head. "I think you are getting too attached to it."

"What do you mean? How would I not get attached to Yna?" He gave the knight an odd gaze. "She is the only thing I have had for company the last few months"

"'Yna'? You named it?" Kayaba asked, hand lowering. "Doesn't help when you've been staying here."

"Well, why not? She likes me, I like her, piss off!"

His words of isolation driven protectiveness drew a line for Kayaba to consider. Taking good heed, consider he did.

"Fine. Your business, but I want to see it-...her."

"Absolutely!" Cried out the boy before him. "Can't wait to reintroduce you!"

* * *

—January 17, 2023. 11:26

—Floor 0

Formed within space beyond Aincrad, an endless library existed. With rows of double helix, information spiraled past eyesight with shelves, stairs, books, books, and more books. Documents in every language, manuscripts of every topic. Even material concerning word-smithing existed! All of it was hers, whose sole job was to learn, record. Every last word memorized by a being of strikingly female anatomy, named The Keeper.

Brown curls bounced as she skipped to a distant shelf, drawing a thick volume from a collective of paper and leather, whose title she knew at a glance, whose implications transcended human malignancy. Weathering had clawed out most of its gold etched letters, leaving bare only a single word in dull marking. Lovecraft.

Rested on a nearby desk, the massive stack of bonded paper was opened. Behind thin glasses she read on, of entities and deities whose presence lurked past mortal dimensions, whose sentience reflected frigid indifference to human beings. Obliteration of such infinitesimal life by one of their tantrums would be perceived with as much care as one would concern themselves over a fly struck by a distant car. They could not be compared to anything besides the most savage and ancient gods, and they themselve were more benign and caring than these behemoth

It was her duty to discover myths and legends that her mother-system could use for Sword Art Online, even content as sinister as what laid before her. Even one as reserved as The Keeper found herself shaking her head in shame. Her attempts at deciphering why such ancient and powerful intelligence would find rivalry in devices as harmless as steam boats...let alone be slain by such dubious at best. Its logical flaw, however, she found exceptional potential, closing her eyes softly.

"Mother?"

«Yes?» Came a telepathic reply.

"I found something. Sending data now."

Uploading information she stored quickly finished, Cardinal inspecting, making chirps indicative of approval.

«You have exceeded expectations, compensation will be granted»

* * *

—January 18, 2023. 10:39

—Floor 1

—011

Archers ran across sloped rooftops, running with feather light steps, a pair in discrete pursuit. Eleven and Sinon chased their prey, a man about ten meters ahead of them who had taken his leave by road, aware of his stalkers only by sun granted shadows.

Eleven jumped, crossing between two homes with minimal airtime, rolling on freshly painted clay tiles upon landing, not looking back in concern of her partner. She expressed no doubt in Sinon, enabling her to focus solely on catching their target.

Eight meters. Their prey's [Agility] stats proven impressive, if not for Eleven and Sinon's handicap of roof surfing. Matching their speed while remaining grounded wasn't lost on him, leaving him to conceive of evasive ploys, most notably diverting from typical routes. A turn of heels was made especially apparent, dust kicking up as he skidded across pavement.

Reaching their building's edge, Eleven was forced to calculate an immediate counter. Hearing Sinon stop, she knew a shot was being prepared, ducking without a need for thought. Sinon was objectively a better shot than Eleven, who was frequently compared to aimbots. So while Sinon took aim, Eleven continued pursuit, attempting to herd her prey to an opportune location.

With an alley to his left, his sharp turn was damnably predictable, seeking cover between tightly packed walls, hugging buildings closely in heightened panic. Sinon held back, biding her time as Eleven leaped across adjacent roofs, leading him like cattle. Her bow swiveled left, eyes keen on an opening past a pair of second floor supports. Witnessing him cross, a missile released, streaming and leading.

His leg was immediately struck, an arrowhead biting deep into unprotected shin. While pain was withheld by parameters outside control, such firm applications destabilized him, his shot leg carrying on offside, directed by Sinon's arrow. Landed on his side, his attempt at exodus ended with a dull thud. Eleven caught up to her prone catch, who scrambled to his feet, hastily drawing a sword in shaking hands.

"I won't let you bring it back!" He growled, taking a defensive stance, albeit crippled. "Lost so much time already!"

"And what makes you think you can stop me?" Eleven slowed mere feet from him, eyebrows raising under her cowl.

A winter night's breeze fluttered, chilling Sinon as she regrouped by Eleven's side, bow raised.

"Drop it."

Her command didn't faze him, clutching it tighter before raising it slightly.

"I'll get Kora and Kibaou. They will shut you down!"

"Sure, if we let you." Eleven smiled, walking forward.

* * *

— January 19, 2023. 7:46 AM

—Floor 8

—Teika

I yawned, stretching as I woke. Artificial light bypassed curtains, drawn back and permitting warm morning light inside. Reasonably plush, my bed definitely more comfortable than the hard earth I was starting to get accustomed to.

Rubbing my eyes, I tried defogging my drowsy mind. My gaze directed to my right, spotting her almost immediately. Silica was laying, mouth slightly open. Her loose shirt over her nimble frame, light shining on her delicate face. Her eyes were shut, an expression of bliss on small lips. She sniffed, eyes opening narrowly. Looking up at me after blinking a few times, her nigh automatic smile emerged.

"You look like an angel with the light behind you" she yawned, sitting up.

Light brown hair fell unbound around her shoulders, stretching past her upper back. Reaching over with a briefly conscious grace, she pushed a darker strand out of my face, tucking it behind an ear as I stared, dumbfounded.

"Something wrong?"

Caught red cheeked, my gaze quickly averted, derailed from her.

"Nope. Nothing at all. You just...looked beautiful laying there, all peaceful."

She giggled slightly, a change of location revealing a persistent desire to be seen.

"Teika, Teika, Teika…so smart, yet so dumb."

I glared indignantly, a pair of red eyes gleaming back.

"How?"

"You don't have to be embarrassed calling me beautiful!" She smiled, beaming at me. "I like it!"

A moment of intimate levity grew between us, leaving me grinning with her, a warmth flowing just below the chest. Then someone decided to ruin it, delivering a private message, leaving me violently cursing its sender without restraint

Sender: Aoki

Message: Hey, Argo told me something about the Elf War campaign. Wanna go try it?

A good minute was spent, considering precisely what words I'd use to espouse disdain for my friend's timing.

To: Aoki

Message: I was actually pretty happy having some time off, thank you"

Silica read over my shoulder, as I rapidly typed in kanji, resting her chest on my back as I sent.

"How did you get so good at Japanese?"

"I don't know." I turned my head. "I just pick things up quickly. I don't think of it as a language, I try to turn everything into an equation of some sort. Cuz you know, math is my forte." I shrugged. "I don't wanna sound conceited, sorry."

"There's a difference between knowing what you're good at, and being conceited." She scolded, holding up a finger.

We sat there for a good five seconds before bursting out in laughter. Her trying to scold me with such a childish demeanor, trying her best to draw a serious face.

"I gotta say, Silica, you are very cute when you try and be bossy!"

We managed to get ahold of ourselves and sat there for a little while longer before another message alert was heard. I groaned before opening it.

Sender: Aoki

Message: Do I have to come over there and protect Silica's chastity?

Uncontrolled and unwarranted giggling served to only augment the heat rising in my face. While my head froze, my fingers typed furiously.

To: Aoki

Message: What? Aren't you Japanese supposed to be subtle?

Silica whiled a tear from her eye, a hand on my shoulder to keep from falling over.

"Aoki is so funny."

Sender: Aoki

Message: Couple things. 1) when have I ever been subtle? 2)You don't wanna fuck Silica? Seriously?

I audibly growled at that, Silica poking me in the arm.

"Yeah, Teika! You don't wanna?"

"It's not that I don't want to, I just don't think it would be wise at this point in time."

I worded that response carefully, trying to keep my words from being twisted. A pout was made, Silica unable to find ammunition to fire at me.

To: Aoki

Message: I am going to end this conversation now before you give Silica ideas

This got my arm another poke, my angelic peer giggling again. Before she could say anything, I deployed a diversion.

"Whatcha want to do today?"

Dramatically, she put a finger to her lips, pretending to think.

"You could first take me out to breakfast. Then we can go clothes shopping with Aoki!"

I gave her a blank stare for a moment before responding.

"Just because I'm your boyfriend does not mean I am your bank account…"

"Yes it does!" Silica playfully pushed. "Now get out so I can change!"

She beamed at me some more, trying to push me out of the bed.

"Fine, fine, fine. I get the hint." I leaned, trying to keep from falling off.

"Good." She kept that smile. "I'll meet you downstairs. Get out!"

Shut behind me, I sighed in exasperation. 'Gods this is sooooooo annoying' I thought. 'Might get a separate room next time so I don't have to deal with this.'

'Eh. She will just find a way to creep into my room. Whatever. Will get used to it, I guess'

As with most inns, this place's rooms were placed above ground, so a quick walk downstairs brought me into said tavern.

Sat at a central table and opened my menu, searching diligently. Probably wouldn't need any weapons, so my axes and shield got unequipped first. Then put aside my tough leather boots, replaced by more comfortable sandals. Kept the trademark black cloak, as the morning was pretty chilly.

A rather…well endowed woman appeared beside me, making sure to accentuate her endowment.

"Can I getcha anything to eat?"

"Just some coffee" I shook my head.

She nodded, jotting my request down on a pad she produced from her dirty apron

"How would ya like it?"

I thought for a second.

"Black, please."

She whisked away, returning not even two minutes later with a good liter and a half of black coffee. I raised an eyebrow at the sheer quantity, but the woman winked.

"Upgrade on the House."

She strolled away, exaggerating the sway of her hips, leaving me momentarily annoyed. 'NPCs made in japan are weird.'

I sat for a moment, sipping the dark, bitter liquid. Feeling virtual caffeine fill my body, I sighed and slumped. A new figure sat across from me. Their cowl was low, cloak similar in color to mine, gaze directed on me. I didn't even react, just taking another draw from my mug.

"I don't have much time. I require your help with a disturbing matter. Will you give it?"

Judging by the voice, the person was female, in her mid-teens. She thought she had control, as her voice was pretty level.

"I cannot give help for some unknown request." I said, shrugging. "Let's talk first."

"I need a promise." she said, voice pressing urgently.

I leaned back, the wooden chair creaking softly.

"How am I supposed to do that exactly? I am from America. And we happen to be very cynical"

She sighed.

"There is a rumor that the Alliance is reforming."

At this one sentence, my heart rate immediately sped.

"That is impossible. We effectively annihilated them."

"Incorrect. Lind, along with seventeen silver plated knights were seen doing a Elf War quest. I'll call on you to disrupt whatever they are doing when I have more information."

"Well, how in hell do I refuse that…" I wondered aloud. "Fine. But you better be rewarding me for this."

"There will be a reward, handsomely if you do well. I'll contact you later."

Hearing my name called aloud, she departed, clearly anxious to remain aloof.

"Teika! You ready?" Silica ran up beside me.

"Yeah, yeah, one sec." I pulled out some coins, throwing them beside my gracious waitress.

"Who was that person earlier? You seemed to be having an intense conversation."

"No idea, and frankly, I don't know if I care." I shook my head, her words echoing in there. "Probably just someone trying to scare me, that's all."

Her words repeated inside my head. The Alliance was reforming.

"Whatever. So, where do you wanna go?" I held out my hand.

She took it, smiling brighter.

"I have a few places in mind"

I groaned out loud.

"Please. Keep it cheap."

"Nah. You are gonna spoil me today" she giggled. "So, no comment about the dress?"

My eyes widened. 'I'm fucked'.

* * *

— January 19, 2023. 8:24

— Floor 3

— Aoki

She finished frying some spiders into little bits of ash and pixels when Klein patted her shoulder. "Thanks, That was hell. But at least you make grinding easier"

She smiled. "No prob. I needed the practice anyways. Every day, new skills pop up inside my spell list, and I don't know what they do. Was good to try a few out"

"Next time…please don't use [Nova Bomb]." he chuckled. "I don't wanna be blown to bits by accident."

Aoki looked over where there was a seven meter wide crater.

"Yeah… sorry about that."

"So, wanna catch a bite? It's on me" he said as the rest of the Fuurinkazan panted, sheathing swords and checking various status windows.

"Nah, I'm planning on meeting with Silica and Teika soon" she responded, waving as she strolled away.

"It's 8:30! Seriously?" Klein asked, exasperated. "Gods, it seems like all anyone cares about is Teika"

"That's cuz he very well might be one of the two people who can out-think the System" Aoki responded. "And the other is too much of an ass to do so"

At that moment, a notice appeared in front of Aoki.

Notice: update 1.0.1 will be installed on January 20, at 9:00. This update will include general bug fixes, improved system recognition of Sword Skill Pre-Movement, and Patch 12

"Patch 12" was highlighted, so she touched it and saw a drop down appear, containing a single item. She saw it, and covered her mouth in shock.

Patch 12 contains the following update(s): Disable Pain Absorber

* * *

 **Patch 12- you are fucked!**

 **thanks for reading yet another chapter guys. would love reviews, PMs, alerts, and favorites! no rotten tomatoes please, save those for Fail-senpai.**


	4. Chapter 4- Snow and Ice, Girl Things

**I AM BACK**

 **FOR A WHILE**

 **IDK HOW LONG**

 **BUT I AM BACK**

 **den- I totally didn't steal that...**

 **Goth- thanks man, hope to keep meeting standards**

 **Thunder- I don't throw fruit at Fail-senpai**

 **Lazion- YEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS**

 **fail- you are my senpai, my only senpai, you give me dokis, in shades of grey (go to YouTube and search "you are my senpai" and choose the one with the pink haired anime girl)**

 **ONTO THE NEW SHIT**

* * *

 _Reporter: "What about the negative effects of Full Dive tech?"_

 _Kayaba Akihiko: "Depends on the effects you are referring to. Many things can be spun negatively, if worded a certain way"_

 _Reporter: "Well, people can stay in the system for long periods of time. This can have detrimental effects on their health as, laying down and not using your muscles for too long can cause them to degrade, as like in hospitals"_

 _Kayaba: "There are multiple fail-safes for that, for example, after two hours, you get a notification on how long you have been in Full Dive. After five hours, the system prompts you to leave. After twelve hours, it will once again prompt you, up this time saying that you need sleep and food. After twenty four hours, or sooner depending on other factors, it will automatically log you out, and eject you from Full Dive, with a minimum eight hour cooldown before it will start back up. These numbers can be changed in Parental Controls."_

 _Reporter: "What about if the game is too intense, or the users are going into shock from the realism of the game?"_

 _Kayaba: "The NerveGear rig is constantly monitoring your heart rate, adrenaline, serotonin, and norepinephrine levels. If any of these four factors get above a certain point, to where your health is at risk, then again, the system will auto-eject you from Full Dive, with a warning statement, and a eight hour cooldown. I assure you that the NerveGear is perfectly safe, and all possible scenarios have been accounted for."_

— _Excerpt from an interview with Kayaba over the safety of the NerveGear._

 ** _Part One: Champion Of Fire_**

* * *

—January 20, 2023, 10:05

—Floor 1, Northeast mountain region

—Wraith

You know shit hit the fan when the Mage of Healing and Light was on his knees gasping. The cold gusts of air whipped his hair and clothes but he ignored that. He instead focused on the message beeping in his ears and flashing in front of him telling him his stress levels and heart rate were dangerously high, and he should try slowing them down.

He shivered as the cold pierced through his mind, wind howling in his ears. But there was also the sound of someone shouting mixed in with that sound, but he couldn't quite make out their words.

He swallowed hard, and stood, unsteady and dizzy as blood rushed from his head. He reached out as he began to fall and a hand grabbed him tightly, holding him firm.

"Snap out of it, goddamn!" Shouted a girl, the same voice as the one just a few seconds ago.

He bit his tongue hard, the pain helping him regain his senses. He stood straight, shaking his head slightly to help clear it.

«Better now, sorry» he sent via the telepathic link he and this girl named Satome shared.

«Good, don't need the healer to die of a heart attack» she thought back to him, turning away and facing the storm. «How in hell are we going to find our way through this?»

Wraith watched as she was tucking her arms into her body, shivering in the freezing gusts of sleet and snow. Her black gown must not be that thick from how tightly she was hugging herself.

He took off his outer cloak, and draped it over her shoulders. «I will take point. I have lenses over my eyes, so the wind doesn't affect me as much»

The clothes underneath were still reasonably thick, but nothing was going to hold this storm back, and the winds seemed to ignore his clothing.

A hand on Satome's shoulder, he muttered "[Focis Æstus Scriptor]", and the both of them were instantly slightly warmer from the spell, Hearth's Heat. It wasn't much, but maybe it would slow hypothermia.

He turned, and finally pulled a rope from his inventory, tying one end around his waist, and handing the other to Satome.

«Don't want us getting separated out here.» he turned to start walking.

«You really know your shit, huh?» she thought in amazement.

«Safety is important. Besides, I have been lost in a storm before, it's really not fun»

«Might be a good story sometime»

«Maybe» he agreed with her.

Their steps were labored, the snow about a hundred and fifty centimeters deep. Wraith did his best to ignore the cold, just focusing on their objective: get the hell out of the storm.

But even that was a momentous task, as the wind seemed to burn with cold, the minor heating effect Wraith produced a nearly futile attempt at staying warm.

His boots were soaked through, each step harder and harder than the last as spikes of pain shot through his leg from the chill.

All too soon, the pain stopped, replaced with a numbing sensation in his lower legs and feet.

With the pain absorber off, the cold not only felt real, it was real. It could actually kill him, if the hypothermia symbol next to his HP bar slowly ticking down meant anything.

* * *

— January 19, 2023, 18:39

—Floor 2, Stuck Taurus Tavern, Urbus

—Teika

I sat at a table with three other figures. All of us wore matching black cloaks, and in this dingy bar, many had on equally suspicious garments so we were overlooked.

The entire room was barely lit, and people were bustling around as they usually do at a bar at night, oblivious to the stress felt by the players of the area.

"This doesn't change that much" came a gruff voice from the near-silhouette of Kora, their leader. "Our job doesn't change"

"But people are less likely to fight now that they can actually feel pain" argued the flowery speech of Tohaku. "You used to be able to get up after being stabbed in the gut, and hit back. Now you gotta deal with the fact you can feel that hole"

I opened my mouth to speak, but another person walked up to the table. "Sorry I'm late. You know meetings run on and on" Heathcliff commented, sitting as I shifted over to accommodate his frame.

"No worries, we were just debating what we should do now" Kora answered him.

"Our main problem is going to be figuring out a better way to fight than running in blindly swinging swords and axes" said the older man underneath his cowl.

I nodded, saying "If we can convince the people that we still have a safe way to fight then people are less apt to quit"

"Problem is creating that safe way" Kora grunted.

"Hello, gentlemen!" A rather large NPC waitress towered over the table with a wry grin. "May I getcha anythin' to drink?"

* * *

—January 20, 2023, 01:12

—Floor 2, Stuck Taurus Tavern, Urbus

—Aoki

I sat, staring at a flickering candle, the flame dancing, casting shadows over the room we ordered for the night. There was a room with three beds and Teika jumped on the opportunity quickly, much to the dismay of Silica, but no verbal complaints were heard.

Silica was sleeping, the stress of the days enough to make her pass out quickly enough, and with ease.

I held my fingers above the small light, about fifteen centimeters from the source. I felt the heat on my hand as the invisible vapors floated into the air. I lowered my hand slowly, the small warmth getting slightly more intense until my hand was nearly touching the tiny fire.

I pinched the wick, the light snuffed instantly with no sound. When I removed my hand a small trail of smoke curled from the burnt wick towards the ceiling.

I stood and walked away briskly, grabbing a discarded pair of pants and shirt from my bed on my way out.

The streets of Urbus were quiet, and dim in the dead of night. Some windows still had a glow to them, but those people were probably like me, unable to sleep.

My bare feet were silent on the cobblestones as I stalked towards the cities borders. I needed to blow something up.

"Well, you sure are being suspicious" came a high singsong voice. I stopped, whirling around.

An impish figure stalked out of the shadows of a dark back alley. "Where ya off to?"

I sighed, "Damnit Argo, you almost gave me a heart attack"

"Yep! It's so fun to do!" She skipped over to me, removing a dark hood from her head and letting her short, auburn hair loose. "So, whatcha gonna do this late at night? Find yourself a Mister?"

"Bitch, please." I waved her off. "Nah, just need to let off a little steam". More like smoke. Close enough.

"Well, I can lead you to a Taurus encampment if you feel like mass homicide" she giggled.

"How many we talking?" I asked, feigning interest.

"Oh, about thirty taurus." Her eyes seemed to bore into mine.

You know what? Maybe some steak is on the menu.

"Sure, where to?" I asked, pulling out my map from my inventory.

She opened a notepad, and after reading a few things on it, touched a point on my map, the spot glowing blue. "Right there. Just a few kilometers away."

I nodded, and started walking in that direction, as Teika, Silica, and I have explored the entire floor.

A few minutes of silence seemed to much for the Broker to bear, as she started asking questions.

"Sooooo… anything new with the lovebirds?"

"Nope" I responded.

"You made a move on him?"

"Hell nah!" I glared at her for a short time.

"You gonna?"

"No, I am not!"

"Oh? Makin' a move on Silica?" She drew out the name slowly, savoring the sound.

"Argo, stop."

"Oh, hit a nerve!" She cried laughing. Then after a few more minutes "How about I go for Teika?"

"That is your choice"

"Not gonna stop me?"

"Nope"

"What if I make a move on you?"

I whirled around, pointed a single finger at Argo, who was giggling at me. "I will blast you with so much fire, your remains will be deleted from the system."

"Wow, ok then!" She splayed her hands in submission. "No need to get violent!"

I sighed. "Sorry, just in a bad mood"

"Wanna talk about it?" She asked. "Girl to girl?"

"You are possibly the worst at keeping secrets in this game" I argued. The grass was soft beneath my feet as I stepped in the savanna. "You would sell it in a heartbeat"

"Actually I wouldn't." Her tone confused me, so I turned to her.

"What do you mean?" I prompted her, as we stood.

The night breeze was cooling, the sound of crickets abundant, stars blanketing the sky above us.

"Well, I believe in secrets. And I believe in keeping them, if they are personal. Besides, you seem like a good person, so I don't wanna ruin whatever you've got." She muttered, obviously not used to giving genuine compliments.

"You really want to know?" I asked. She looked up at me, eyes affirming.

"This damn game. This whole damn life" my voice was calm and steady, but forced. "We are trapped in here by some dickhead and then the system is fighting against us, making shit harder, and Steph-... Teika only cares about Silica and people hate me just because I can shoot fireballs!" I stopped caring about keeping quiet at this point.

"I shoot fucking fireballs! And the Pain Absorber is going to be turned off in less than seven hours, and I shoot FUCKING FIREBALLS!"

I sighed and sat down hard. "If I miss my target and hit someone? If they get caught in my AOE? How in hell can I live with the fact that I can cause the most pain in this FUCKING GAME!?"

I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders, and was pulled down. My head then rested in Argo's lap, and she started stroking my head.

"I gotcha girl. I get it" she said. "I obviously don't understand everything you are going through, but I can empathize a little."

"What do you mean?" I asked, much quieter.

"Well, first off, I am able to make or break people in SAO. I give info, I make sure my sources are viable, but what if I am off? What if I say 'you can go into this section of the labyrinth with that crap item and live' but there happens to be one too many Kobold or something?"

She let out an exasperated sigh, similar to the one I released. "This is just a lot of bullshit loaded into a bullshit cannon and shot through a bullshit fan."

I let out a little giggle. "Shitty situation"

"Exactly" Argo affirmed with a nod.

They stayed there for a second before I sat up, looking at her. "Ever wonder what it's like to be a Fire Mage?"

Argo's eyes widened. "Only about, all the time!"

About twelve makeshift Molotov cocktails later, and a lot of cocked cows, the Taurus camp was massacred. By two giggling teen girls. We had too much fun with that.

* * *

—Satome/Wraith

The rope tied around her waist slackened without Sato noticing, and soon after she stumbled over her camouflaged companion, laying face down in the snow, piling around him.

The gale force winds whipped at her, making the sleet and snow sting and scratch her skin with each pass. She had lost feeling in her feet a while ago, but her hands were still hurting, which she guessed was a good thing, as it meant she at least had her fingers.

She glanced at her HUD to see why she hadn't passed out either, and saw her HP bar was outlined in a wavering black mist, while the green was ever so slowly ticking down. She tried to sigh, but couldn't find the air in her frozen, hunched body. 'Guess that isn't such a bad thing' she thought.

Glancing at Wraith's collapsed form, she contemplated how to move him. Unable to find a solution, she knelt, and heaved his body over, and screamed "Wraith! Get up Wraith!"

She took of his mask, and the usually tanned face was pale, the lips almost blue with chill. "Wake up, you lazy sonofabitch!" She slapped his face, which only managed to make her hand hurt more.

She opened her menu with shaking hands, and managed to get to her skill list, and magic tab. After a little searching, she closed it, and put both of her hands on his chest.

'Even if I pass out, he can probably carry me' she thought. 'Whatever'

"[Foedere Vitae]" she spat out. Almost instantly she felt nauseous, and fell on top of him. She watched her health bar increase by a decent amount as black started creeping into her vision.

The spell Life Bond worked as its name suggests, bonding two people's lives for a short time. Their HP bars are added together, and both players use off of that singular, united bar. It also works negatively, all status effects ailing one person now affect both.

But as Wraith opened his eyes with a groan, and saw the teen girl laying on top of him, he didn't care. He just knew she did something to wake him up at the cost of her consciousness.

He swore violently, grabbing his mask and donning it. After standing, and lifting Satome in a fireman's carry over his shoulders, he started trekking again. His Light power came with no buffs against the cold like her powers must've so she could wake him, but he did have willpower.

I mean, what guy wouldn't get an adrenaline rush when a damsel was in distress?

As he walked, he kept glancing at his HP, noticing it was falling a little slower than before, and a black mist seemed to outline it.

* * *

 _Life is a fickle thing. So easily destroyed, yet clung to so vainly._

— _[_ _Lucifer, King of the Underworld]_

 **Yes it is, Lucifer. Yes it is.**

 **FEED MEH YOUR REVIEWS!**


	5. Chapter 5- Limits

**This was originally going to be ch4 and the one posted before this ch5, but I think they are better this way.**

 **Lazion: There is no "me". Only "we", comrade**

 **Thunder wolf: Yes, thunder is you! Unless I should go back to calling you Tinderwolf? XD. Good job on the rewrite. New ideas and a fresh start never hurt anything.**

 **Fail-senpai: SHORT? THE LONGEST CHAPTER I HAVE WRITTEN WAS 3.5K! I DONT WRITE MASSIVE CHAPTERS LIKE YOU, COMPENSATIN' EVERYWHERE WITH YO BIG ASS SWORD!**

 ***calms down***

 **Thanks for the catch bro. And yes, Outback Steakhouse is what I was going for XD**

 **Gothgod: and it is so awesome to be back.**

* * *

Part One: Champion Of Fire

 _Hurt and pain.  
There's much to gain.  
Peace and love.  
It's all the same.  
Confusion and doubt.  
We're not without.  
We weep, we cry.  
We plead, we try.  
We laugh, we smile.  
Only to be hurt  
by one last trial.  
Life is a lesson,  
so learn it well.  
Maybe, one day,  
you can tell it's tale_

 _— anonymous._

* * *

—Before the Death Game

Kayaba slammed his small shot glass on the bar top, demanding another. The room was filled with the noises of chatter, laughing, banter and such, and Kayaba didn't like it very much.

"Sure beats the asinine office work, right Akihiko?" Sugou chuckled, a hand stroking his slick black hair.

Kayaba looked at his friend and co-worker. "But we are supposed to be finished in two weeks…"

"And will we even be finished in two months? No!" Sugou clapped a hand on his back. "Don't worry about it. Either way, we are all fired, and have to go work for Sony or something."

Nishida piped up. "If we work overtime we might be able to finish at least a testable version. Obviously will have bugs, but we can iron those out-"

"Nah, we would each have to pull over two hundred hours over the next two weeks to even consider that" Sugou argued. "And none of us can take that strain" he nulled the other man's statement.

Kayaba looked to his shot glass, and saw that it had another mouthful of alcohol. He picked it up, and downed the bitter and abrasive liquid, letting it burn down his throat.

He coughed a little before speaking. "I know for certain I can't. I barely get enough sleep as it is. I don't think I can shorten that any further."

Nishida nodded, seeing the point. "Well, we can ask for it to be postponed? I mean, we are the heads of a team making the world's first open world MMORPG. I think we can get a little leeway."

Kayaba shook his head. "Nope, already pushed back a whole year. They said 'released by November 22 and not one day after'."

"Well….." Sugou started. "There is one way we can get this finished…"

"We talked about this!" Kayaba shot the idea down instantly. "We are not going to let that happen!"

"But it will get SAO finished!" Sugou rebutted. "We could add a program where its one goal is to complete the coding itself, we can limit it-"

"I said no! We don't know what will happen if we let it happen. That is not a risk we can take, ever" Kayaba shook his head, downing another shot.

"Just wondering…. what?" Nishida looked perplexed at the exchange.

Kayaba sighed, and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "One day, Sugou came to me, and offered an idea. It was to give Cardinal the ability to self-code."

Nishida's eyes widened. "That would… have so many pros and cons… it's…"

"It would solve all of our problems" Sugou ranted, staring at the ceiling. "It would make us famous for inventing AI."

"But also would make it sentient." Kayaba explained. "It would ignore every limiter we placed on it, and create its own parameters. It will think for itself, and probably not like the idea of taking orders from humans."

"'Probably'! We don't know!" Sugou started getting annoyed. "Where is your sense of adventure? Where is your belief in the future?"

"Where is your sense of self preservation? Of common sense?" Kayaba yelled, quieting down as he looked around him to see if he drew any attention from anyone nearby.

"Come on, Nishida. We can overrule him if we both agree. He may be the Lead Programmer, but side with me. Let's unleash Cardinal." Sugou pleaded with the other man, who was looking very uncomfortable.

"I have to agree with Akihiko. It's just too dangerous" Nishida mumbled, hands rubbing nervously in front of his large girth.

"Damn the both of you…" Sugou grunted, grabbed his jacket, and stormed off.

* * *

"Too dangerous… common sense… fuck them" Sugou typed furiously on a computer screen, code flashing before his eyes. "I will show you. Cardinal will be the most advanced OS in Japan. No, even the Americans won't have anything to rival this. It will be better than anything in the world."

He grabbed the black coffee sitting next to him, taking a long draft. Thankfully, bringing Kayaba and Nishida to a bar was a good idea. They would drink until they passed out, while Sugou didn't even think about tasting alcohol. This would permit him the whole night undisturbed.

He glanced at the clock on the monitor before him, groaning in exasperation. He had been here for three hours, and he still couldn't figure out how in hell to do this.

"What in hell is wrong…?" He questioned the computer, eyes dreary from staring at the artificial light for so long. "The code is correct, but why won't it run?"

He adjusted his glasses, staring at the words printed in English characters and numbers across the glowing surface. "Why won't you run?"

Then he remembered something Kayaba said. "Ignore every limiter". Maybe that was it.

Sugou opened another tab, and found a few pages of code labeled "LIMITER_DO-NOT-MODIFY". He smiled. "Akihiko, you sly devil." He said, looking through the characters before him. "You put a limiter on here that would keep it from going sentient, even if I wrote the code"

He was about to replace the typed text, but then thought it through. "Kayaba will suspect I modified this file." He reasoned aloud, and instead made a copy of it, making the needed changes to it instead.

Then he set the new file to replace the old one at right before SAO was released.

* * *

—January 20, 2023. 12:43

— Floor 5

—Yoriko

Ever since Cardinal removed the Pain Absorber, the heat of the desert was even more intense. She had discarded the cloak, preferring to walk in her white tunic. Most of the other men had done the same, and all were sweating, and already tired after only four hours of trekking.

Her feet were blistering inside of her boots, burning in their leather oven. PoH stood a little to her right, standing tall as he tried to afford her some shade from his larger frame. But he too, was suffering thanks to the System.

Johnny as Xaxa held their cloaks over them to keep from getting directly blasted by the searing ball of light above them, but their arms probably burned as the black material heated up from the very thing they tried to avoid.

Riko staggered a little, eyes drooping, the heat lulling her into delusions. The sand radiated and reflected the power of the sun back up from the ground, causing waves in the very air.

There was something in the distance. She couldn't tell what it was at the moment, but it was very far off, and a light gray color. "PoH…" She said, pointing towards it.

The man nodded, not wasting precious energy on speech. Judging by his expression, that was their target, whatever it was. Their trudging might come to a close soon. If only they were capable of picking up the pace.

Johnny stumbled, and fell over. "Dammit" he swore. He slowly picked himself up as the rest of us waited. "We were placing bets on who would trip first" he laughed, looking at Riko. "My money was on you"

She stuck her tongue out at him, and then licked her lips, trying to moisten them, but her mouth was just as dry. She took her water skin out of her inventory, and took a swig, replacing it before she was tempted to take more.

They continued on, the gray thing getting closer. She could now see it was a structure of some sort, and now that the distance had closed a little, the game's rendering distance allowed her to see it was right in front of some mountains. She pulled a map out of her inventory, and saw that mountains lined the map, all along the edge. But no symbol rested on any part of it, as she soon realized. They weren't going to a marked part of the map.

"PoH, can't we just teleport out" Xaxa whined, "My HP is going down from Heat Exhaustion."

"Drink some water, you will be fine" PoH said sternly. "That'll help."

Riko looked at my HUD, and saw Xaxa's HP was at around ninety percent. But she glanced at the others. PoH was at seventy five percent.

"But PoH-" he tried again, but she cut him off.

"Check the rest of the party" she growled. "PoH has been suffering the most. Shut the fuck up, or I will put you out of your misery."

Xaxa glanced at her, with a scowl. "Sometimes I wonder why he keeps a brat like you."

"So i can tell you to fuck off" she responded with the finger, a gesture she learned from watching American shows.

"Why, I oughta…" Xaxa reached for the knife at his belt.

"Both of you, quiet down. We are all tired and hot, so let's just keep walking." PoH quieted the fight.

"One more time, and he won't be able to save you" Xaxa mouthed, sliding his first finger across his throat to indicate his plan for Riko.

The defiant girl just rolled her eyes. She didn't think he could touch her, not while PoH and Satome were alive.

Her mind wandered to her sister, trapped somewhere else, unable to talk to Riko, unable to even see her. Captive in this death game, in a more treacherous location than she was…

Shuddering despite the heat, Riko once again withdrew her skin, and raised it above her head. The remaining meager drops fell on her parched tongue, soaking into it immediately. Swallowing hard, she sighed, replacing the empty container.

She heard a grunt to her right, and looked to see PoH holding out his skin, and she could see it was about half full. "Take it" he said quietly, pushing his hand a little closer.

"But you need it" she said, shaking her pounding head.

"Just take it" he lightly tossed it to her, forcing her to catch it or let it fall.

She held the skin, glanced at him, watching expectantly, and then took a small sip from the sack before trying to giving it back to him. Mumbling her gratitude. But he disregarded it.

"Keep it. I will be fine" he stared forward, jaw set. He wasn't taking 'no' for an answer.

She tried to swallow her pride, and hung the half full skin on her belt. Behind her back Xaxa was glaring at the pair, biding his time.

* * *

—January 21, 2023, 9:02

—Floor 3

—Teika

I rolled over, groaning from the impact and shock i just experienced. I stood, dazed and confused, vision still blurry. I felt something sticky on my hand, and wiped it off on the tree behind me. I felt someone tugging at my sleeve, and looked to see Silica screaming something at me, but the ringing in my ears was still intense, so I couldn't make it out.

Then I saw a spider the size of a small car drop right behind her. I immediately pushed her to the side, raising my shield as the two ton arachnid body-checked me, forcing my back against the tree behind me.

I raised my feet, and pushed with my whole body, managing to force the thing a length back, enough for me to heave my entire frame to the side, and out of the way.

I rolled to my axe, knocked out of my hand by the initial impact, and raised ol' [Iron Head]. I gripped the handle as the spider faced me with its many faceted eyes, each more hungry than the one before it.

It raced at me, and I swung downward with both hands on my weapon, the blade biting deep into the face of the monstrosity concocted for my torment, as it pushed back against me, my feet sliding underneath.

The high pitch noise in my ears got louder, and I soon realized it was a mix between my screams of defiance and the spider's scream of pain. Soon enough it stopped moving, flopping onto the ground dramatically.

I pulled my ax out of it, a small spurt of fluid following. I looked around, the carnage evident. Bodies of deceased arachnids spotted the ground, some the size of a large dog, the others as large as the one I killed. Members of the Fuurinkazan and Arcane Guard fought the vicious beasts, trying to keep from getting encircled.

Aoki and Tohaku were running around our main target, [Nephila Regina], the Spider Queen. We had faced this boss before, but not like this. Usually Aoki murdered it, quite literally. Just a few well timed fireball nukes and it was dead, but not this time. It just HAD to ruin our day and be tougher. Everything was fucking tougher.

I ignored the sharp pain in my left shoulder, and the ache in my back. I ignored the pounding in my head and my legs feeling like they would give out, and I ran forward.

I saw that Silica was dodging and baiting one of the smaller arachnids, and I swung underhanded on my way past, cleaving it in half. I saw that Klein was having trouble fending off one of the larger ones. As I ran, I put my shield and ax on my back, pulling my two throwing weapons off my belt and jumping at the last second, using them to climb on top of the furry monster.

It screeched, and bucked, sending my high into the air, I flattened out, and landed right behind its head, both throwing axes biting deep into the side of it. It's scream turned frantic, and it stood on its back legs, trying to shake me off, but then Klein lunged forward, ripping his katana through its abdomen, where it's heart was, the blow finishing it.

I fell down, groaning again. I opened my eyes and saw Klein was holding a hand above me. "Thanks"

I took it, and he helped me up. "No prob." I answered. A quick glance around told me that the rest were fairing decently in groups of three or four, managing to bait out and kill the constantly spawning threats easily enough.

Silica appeared at my side, huffing. "Aoki is hurt!"

I immediately followed her pointing finger, and saw my friend behind a tree, clutching her right arm with her left, and wincing in pain. Above her, five monsters were descending slowly on their webs, silent to their unknowing prey.

I dashed through the battlefield, legs carrying me quickly towards her as she hid from the Queen. I screamed her name. But she couldn't hear me as she pulled out a HP potion to try and get back into the fight.

The spiders dropped around her, startling her. She sent a fireball towards one almost instantly, but the thing barely recoiled from the magic attack.

I yelled as loud as I could, hurling both throwing axes, each landing on different targets. I jumped on one of the spiders, and landed next to Aoki, shield and combat ax ready.

"Come on!" I yelled, slamming the weapon on my shield repeatedly. "Come on!"

The spiders backed away, confused by my false bravado. But that would only buy seconds.

The air temperature dropped a noticeable amount, and I saw frost on the ground travel quickly towards my enemies, and then their legs were suddenly encased in ice, an ice that spread up their legs, and over their squealing bodies.

Then fireballs were hurled over my shoulder, each one making an arachnid shatter into ice shards.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw a blonde boy nod to me, and I returned it. Then his eyes became wide as dinner plates as the massive tree trunk behind me exploded into millions of fragments, obliterated entirely.

I turned completely around, and saw it. All thirty metric tons of its furry body, staring down at me, specifically.

'Well, shit' I thought.

* * *

 _Just like there are quests in every RPG known to the human race, in SAO, they are divided into three categories. Quests, Missions, and Campaigns._

 _Quests are as you would expect, fulfill a few objectives and turn it in for a reward._

 _Mission are multiple quests spanning over a time period, usually around eight quests that when done separate, give decent rewards, but if you complete them all, you get much more. These are time sensitive, and if you take too long, can expire. Most will be only available for each person once, or only available once period!_

 _But Campaigns… ooooh, these are nasty. These take months to complete and happen over multiple floors. Once started, no one else can start the campaign, nor can you restart. But you can have people join where you are in the storyline, but it becomes tougher in proportion to how many people you have, and their level. Finishing a campaign gives massive XP and awesome loot, but takes forever and is challenging._

 _—Entry in Beta Tester's Handbook made by Argo the Rat_

* * *

 **HEEEEYYYYYYY**

 **that is what happens when Tohaku tries to be a hero... silly Tohaku, that's Teika's job!**

 **as usual, please review! I love feedback!**


	6. Chapter 6- Sand and Snow

**And another chapter in quick succession! Hope y'all are satisfied!**

 **Lazion- I don't care if you want more. It's my job to torment people!**

 **Fail-senpai - you would beat anyone's ass, if just to say you pounded some ass**

 **And now to the story before I say something to get my ass pounded!**

 ** _Part One: Champion Of Fire_**

* * *

 _We all feel pain_

 _The hurt, the loss_

 _Washed away_

 _Betrayal of trust_

 _That feeling in your heart_

 _The searing and tearing_

 _That will rip you apart_

 _And the world doesn't care_

 _—theawesomess_

* * *

—January 20, 2023, 10:36

—Floor 1, Northeast Mountain region

—Satome

I moaned softly, feeling the heat of a fire on my front. I opened my eyes to find a stone hearth ablaze with calming flames. I slowly sat up, the blanket draped around my frame falling into my lap.

I looked around at the wooden walls of the small shelter. I looked out of a nearby window, and saw that the storm had settled down, its rage and hunger sated for now.

I stood, staggering slightly, still unsteady and dizzy. I gulped, and noticed my feet were bare, my boots resting by the fire. When I lifted them, I realized they were still soaked and placed them back down with a sigh

The shadows cast by the flickering flames danced along the walls, the smell and sight calming. Then the door flew open.

Whipping towards it, I crouched by instinct, ready to fight or run. Run where, I don't know, but I would probably go through a window if need be.

Wraith marched in, carrying a few logs. He shut the door with his foot before placing them by the crackling hearth to dry.

«You're awake.» he stated over their neural link, my telepathic powers enabling speech without talking.

"Yeah" I replied. "Where are we?"

«A random cabin I came across while carrying you, send» he stood up, stretching a bit.

"Are you really about to start doing that again?" I rolled my eyes, and sat down by the fire.

«Maybe, send» the blank stare of his mask was too much for me, and i started giggling.

"Gods, you are something, aren't you?" I wiped a fake tear from my eye.

«I would hope so. Otherwise I would be a part of your imagination. And that would suck, send» to took an iron poker off the wall next the the hearth, and stirred the coals and burning logs in there, the fire enlarging from his ministrations.

"This game needs fuckin' marshmallows" I complained. "That would make this so lit right now"

He took his mask off, and I saw his scarred face smiling slightly. «It would, though. Perfect. Send»

"Hey, thanks" I muttered.

«Did I just hear gratitude? Be careful your nice side is showing. Send» he chuckled.

"Up your ass" I spat playfully at him, full of fake venom.

«There we go, back to the Infinite we all know and love» he shook his head, all out smiling now. «Well, 'love' is a stretch, but you get my point. Send.»

"So. What do we do now?" I asked him. "I don't know the next step in the quest."

«I have a bible I am supposed to deliver to a Father John in Urbus» he replied, laying on his back and staring at the rafters above us. «Already flipped through it, and there isn't anything special about it, except...»

He opened his inventory, and flipped to somewhere near the end. After finding a spot he handed me the book.

I immediately noticed the torn out pages, the edge jagged where they had been. "What's missing?"

«A few pages from the Book Of Revelations» his mental speech was slow, as though he were choosing specific words. «The few that talks about Satan sending his Four Horsemen Of the Apocalypse»

I swallowed, a shiver going down my back that had nothing to do with temperature. "That does not sound fun"

I stood. "Well, let's go see this Father John!"

He nodded, replacing his white pearlescent mask, standing as well.

I grabbed my boots, now thankfully warm and dry, and wrapped Wraith's spare cloak, which was discarded on the floor, around my shoulders.

He opened the door, stepping through it to the calm outside.

"Not going to extinguish the fire?" I asked, puzzled.

«I sincerely doubt the game will let the house catch.» he responded. «And i would have to figure that out»

Satome sighed, and turned around, pointing a finger right at the crackling fire that kept her warm. "[Inanis]" She said, and a small black dot formed in front of the fire, her Void spell sucking the air out of the hearth and instantly snuffing it. "Ready!"

* * *

—January 20, 2023, 11:21

—Floor 74

—Zyon

The young boy sat atop a cliff as a roar was heard in the snowy cap many kilometers from him. In the valley below, multiple centaur-like creatures galloped around, bows drawn, and scanning the skies for the instrument of their doom. Then it appeared.

Flying at speeds you wouldn't think a being of its mass was able to, the gargantuan beast descended, and when it landed a gust of wind so strong, some trees nearby became uprooted by the shockwave alone.

When the centaurs stood back up, they hailed arrows on the mythical thing that assailed them, to no avail.

In one massive chomp, four of the scared centaurs were swallowed, the other ten started retreating, but couldn't escape the literal maw of death.

"God's, Yna. Don't gorge. You get tummy aches so easily!" The boy tsked, standing up.

When all the mobs were massacred, the boy took a few steps back, and ran at the cliff, jumping at the last second.

He closed his eyes, and crashed his arms, tucking his chin down to his chest.

He felt claws close around his body, and his direction of travel changed to level. He opened his eyes. Wiggling out of the large claw, and up the arm of the dragon, he sat in between a ridge between two back spines protruding from the beast.

A loud purring reached his ears as the wind whipping his hair around his head. He then yelled "let's go for a ride, huh?"

A playful growl resonated between his legs, and the world turned on its ass.

The nosedive speed must have been massive, as Zyon could barely hold onto the ride in front of him even though he was exceptionally strong. The earth was approaching fast, and he started slapping the back of Yna. "Ok, uncle! Uncle!"

What could have been a laugh emanated from her, and she leveled out, skimming treetops in her fast glide. Then she did the opposite, flying straight up, at breakneck speeds. How physics allows this, no one knows. But it happened.

When they were above the clouds, Yna slowed her aggressive flying to a slow glide.

Zyon opened his eyes, seeing the streaks of orange, red, and pink as the sunset to his right glowed in beautiful radiance.

He spread his arms wide, sitting tall on his dragon. "Yeah!" He shouted. "Yeah!"

Yna echoed his call with a roar of her own as the chilly wind tried to bite Zyon, but he was too ecstatic to care. The world was their home. They could travel anywhere they wanted in mere minutes, do anything they wanted whenever they felt like it.

Yna dipped below the cloud line, and landed on a mountain near to their current position. Zyon slid off of her, and patted the rough, dark purple hide affectionately.

The sunset was before them, and seemed to burn the entire skies with its colors. Yna laid down, and Zyon sat against her side, gazing at the magnificence before him.

"Hey, Yna?" He asked, tilting his head but his eyes never left the sight of the setting sun.

Her purr was her acknowledgement, so he continued. "Can we just stay here?"

Yna grumbled softly, and deeply in the back of her throat.

"I know Kayaba has a plan for us, but that doesn't mean that we have to follow it" he stood, and faced his draconic companion. "Who needs Kayaba when we have each other? Just you and me, together and free?"

A loud sigh came from her, and Zyon just stood, staring at Yna, waiting for her answer. And after a sound much like "hrmph", he laughed.

"I knew you would get it!" He tried hugging Yna, but just managed to flop against the wall of flesh.

"We need to put you on a diet" he chuckled, the dragon roaring in defiance.

* * *

—January 20, 2023, 13:47

—Floor 5, Northern Region

— Yoriko

I had never seen a statue like this in person. In pictures of Egyptian tombs and shit, yeah, everyone has, but not in person. And this thing was massive. It must've been over ten meters of granite, the jackal headed warrior stood tall on its stone guard duty, unmoving.

We sat in its shadow, resting temporarily before we headed off. By the way PoH was acting, we didn't have far to go, and the tension was evident to me.

Johnny and Xaxa were playing some western gambling game, betting col while PoH and I sat in comfortable silence, just resting.

"Where are we going?" I asked him quietly taking a small sip from the skin that he had given me an hour or so earlier.

"A tomb of a king who thought he was above man" he answered, wiping some sweat from his face.

"Like, a pharaoh?" She asked, lightly tossing the skin into his lap.

"Exactly like a pharaoh" he answered, also drinking from the skin.

The statue they leaned against also blocked the winds whenever they picked up, shielding them from the scathing aggression of the sandstorms that sullied the region.

Then PoH stood, fruitlessly brushing sand off the knees of his trousers. "Ok, let's get back to going"

Johnny laughed, and pointed at Xaxa. "You lost, mate! I fuckin' murdered your ass!"

"Yeah yeah" the sore loser waved him off. "See you do that one more time!"

PoH and I started walking, the other two trailing not too far behind. This time they went right for the mountains nearby, less than a kilometer away from the jackal headed statue.

Their walk was mostly in silence, and each step they took cooled down the air a little until by the time they reached a cave entrance, it was actually tolerable.

PoH pulled a torch out of his inventory, lighting it, and heading in. The inside was almost brisk, especially compared to the last few hours of trekking through unbearable heat.

A steady drip drip signaled there was water within, a distance always and to their right, but PoH ignored this and went to the left slightly, the open cavern shrinking down to a narrow tunnel, forcing the group to walk single file.

Unexpectedly, it widened, and stood before them was a wall of solid gold. Hieroglyphics decorated it, depicting a scene of carnage with multiple corpses, and in the center was a sun, with a snake opening its mouth, seemingly to swallow it.

"Here it is…" PoH said. He ran his hand over the sun and snake, fingers barely brushing the surface in his awe.

"Well, this is cool and all, but what the hell is it?" Asked Xaxa, looking very annoyed at being dragged here for a wall. Albeit a nice looking wall.

"This depicts the story of how Apophis, the Egyptian incarnate of chaos and embodiment of evil tried to take over the universe." Answered PoH in a whisper. "This is where we came"

He pushed the sun a little harder, and a loud clicking sound was heard. The snake's maw opened wider, and the sun slid into it, disappearing from view. After a second or two of silence, the wall opened.

* * *

—January 20, 2023, 16:57

— Floor 1, Mystic Forest

— Eleven

Being a teacher is tiring sometimes. Like, a lot. Especially when your students are just in the mood to not be cooperative.

"Try again" I prompted Nora, trying not to think too much about how badly her last arrow missed.

The petite Japanese girl swallowed, trying to keep calm as she pulled her thirteenth arrow off of her back quiver, and notched it. She drew the string back, pointed it at a target Sinon had set up around thirty meters away, and took a few deep breaths. On the third, she held it, squinted, and released the shaft, sending her projectile forward. And a thirteenth miss.

"Fuck this game!" She shouted, throwing her bow to the ground. "How in hell do I get good when the game fights me?"

Eleven opened her mouth, but saw as Tryth stood from the log he was perched on, and approached her.

He wrapped his arm around the fuming girl, hugging her tight. "Hey, everyone can't be good at everything. Takes hella practice"

"But everyone else can hit the bullseye out to sixty yards! I can't even hit the target at thirty!" She pulled away, and grabbed her hair. "This is so infuriating!"

"Maybe you are trying too hard" he said calmly.

She stopped, and turned towards him. "What do you mean?"

He scratched his blonde head for a second before answering. "Well, like, have you ever been so nervous for a test, you studied and did everything you could, but when the test came, you forgot everything?"

She nodded. "Everyone has done that occasionally, so what?"

"Think of this as the test. You are trying, but just can't. So try a little less" he picked up her bow off the ground, notched an arrow of his own, and fired it in quick succession, the head biting deep into the wood of the target.

"Your heart is pounding in your ears, you are distracted, and you are nervous. Just relax, and focus on the here and now" he said, handing her the curved stick.

She blinked rapidly, as did I, marveling at that reflex. Nora nodded, and tried one more time.

There was a loud thud as her arrow struck home, about ten centimeters from the center. She squealed in excitement, and hugged Tryth enthusiastically. "Thank you!" She shouted, bouncing around.

I smiled, and said "Just keep practicing. You will get the hang quickly".

Shooting a glance towards Sinon, standing a few meters away, I walked away, taking a break while she tried to get her aim down.

After a little while, I jumped up, catching a low hanging branch and pulling myself onto it, and continued climbing the tree to the top. When my head poked out of the canopy, I sat down, marveling at the scenery.

The forest in the sunset was bathed in gold, the trees seeming to shimmer with life and secrets. The mountains in the background were firm and proud in their stone stance, the sun resting between to peaks just perfectly from my vantage point,

After a few seconds of just staring, I sighed. "Why can't life be this beautiful all the time, Asada?"

"Cuz then it would be boring" came the short reply beside her. She had silently joined her friend, and too saw the skies and forest as something to behold.

"But it would be so perfect, just… just so perfect" I looked down at my hands. Clenching my jaw, and forcing the onslaught of thoughts that threatened to assail me away, I dropped form the tree, back onto the soft earth with a muffled thump.

Behind me, my friend did the same, her eyes on me. "What's on your mind?" She asked, brushing some dirt off of her cloak.

I shook my head. "Just some planning going on." I lied, "Going to need to take them to Sanctum"

"You sure? We can't rush them" she cautioned, her voice nearly flat.

"Yeah. It has to be soon. Gotta get on the radar for a split second, and the only way to do that is with The Keeper's help"

"I disagree, for obvious reasons. Can we wait another week or two?" Sinon laid her hand on my shoulder, turning me towards her.

I looked into her eyes. "No. It has to be soon." I swallowed before continuing. "Sunday. That will give them two days"

* * *

 **And down here I put something funny and witty, hoping to inspire you to leave a review! Or follow and fav! Or something! Cuz I don't have a life and this is my happy place!**

 **see ya soon!**


	7. Chapter 7- Arachnaphobia

**You know, it took me four tries to upload this chapter, this website is annoying sometimes. Totally not my rusty-ness.**

 **thanks to all of my awesome reviewers! Y'all help make this story what it is!**

 ** _Part One: Champion Of Fire_**

* * *

 _Is the end really the end? Or is it the beginning of something new? And is the beginning the beginning? Or is it the end of something old?_

* * *

—January 21, 2023, 9:13

—Floor 3

—Teika

I was frozen in place, eyes pinned on the monstrosity towering high above me, the same mass that had annihilated the multi-meter thick tree we were using as cover with a single blow. I didn't even have time to raise my shield as one of its eight legs shot out, catching me and sending me flying above the fight.

I felt the pit of my stomach drop as I stopped ascending, that brief period of time where you feel weightless. I was sent so high, that the scene below me was minuscule, that I couldn't even pinpoint specific people. Then I dropped.

My eyes wide, I screamed in surprise and fear. I curled into a ball, and held my shield below me, hoping it would absorb the landing. Suddenly I heard a massive explosion, and I felt a shock wave ripple through my body twice, the second one from landing. I rolled on my back, clutching my left side, which had been facing down at the time of impact. The lightning bolts of agony shot through my torso, making me see spots with every beat of my heart.

I squeezed my eyes closed, a cry escaping my lips as the fire ripped through me. I have felt pain before, but this was on a whole new scale; it felt as though my body was trying to kill itself.

I felt a hand softly lay on my upper chest, and a small glass tube placed on my lips. I managed to part them and the sweet taste of the life giving potion filled my mouth, the pain subsiding slightly.

Opening my eyes, a young girl's face floated above me, pigtails hanging over her face. Her worried expression was directed towards me, I realized while dazed, her lips pulled tight, her eyes darting between mine.

I reached for her hand, and squeezed it appreciatively before trying to stand. Silica helped me steady myself once up, as my legs threatened to buckle beneath me. I stood, and placed a hand on her shoulder to keep from falling back over.

"That's the third fucking time I am shell shocked. It's like this game is trying to piss me off" I said, smiling weakly. After she laughed, I asked her "Where's my axe?"

Kneeling down, she picked it up off the ground beside her. "I grabbed it while running to you, knowing you would want to jump right back into the fight" she used both hands, hefting it to me.

I reached out, grasping my trusted weapons of choice, swinging it a few times to make sure it wasn't heavily damaged.

"No Silica, I don't want to go back to the fight." I raised my head to the sun. "I really really don't, but I kinda have to"

She nodded, understanding. "Don't die!" She said, giving me that adorable smile.

I patted her shoulder in gratitude, deciding that's enough of a break. And then there was a loud boom, the air caught fire, and the earth shook.

* * *

—Aoki

When Teika was launched by the arachnid, fear kept me from running, my feet unresponsive to my urgent pleas. I was snapped out of my daze when Tohaku's voice yelled "Aoki, get out of there!" and a few of the Fuurinkazan grabbed me to pull me out.

I shook them off, and ran on my own, as Tohaku, Kora and Klein aggroed the Queen, keeping her busy as the rest of the party healed up. I then looked to the sky looking for Teika, and saw a figure falling quickly.

Panicking, I knew he wouldn't survive the fall. I pointed my hand near the area I knew he was going to land, a fireball obeying my sudden command, and hurling through the air. When it hit the ground, he was less than a meter from the explosion, so it took a lot of the impact that would have killed him.

Seeing Silica rush to his aid, I sighed in relief, turning my attention back to the Spider Queen. I took a few steps forward, watching Tohaku trying to encase it's legs in his ghostly white ice, while Kora and Klein were doing all they could to not get hit from the flailing limbs, Tohaku's efforts being fruitless.

I spread my legs shoulder width apart, raising my hands high above my head. Unreadable sigils swirled around my feet, their crimson aura radiating. Power flowed through my body, every cell seeming to come alive with it. Lowering my hands, I held what looks like a tiny sun between them, not even a centimeter in diameter.

Wind picked up as energy made the very air seem radioactive, light cast all around me. Struggling to hold the spell between my hands, I called out to my comrades. "Get clear!"

Klein looked back to me, and immediately started shouting to Tohaku and Kora to move their asses, as he has had some intimate experience with my Nova Bomb.

When they were high-tailing it, the Queen stared at me, as I was the one deemed the most threatening by the System. It took a step forward, unsure how to proceed with me staring it down. I smiled evilly, light's brilliant radiance unmatched even by the System generated sun.

"Hey bitch, suck on this" I called jumping backwards in the air, pulling my right arm back like I was going to throw a ball. And released it.

Needless to say, with a name like 'Nova Bomb', you would know exactly what happens. The small orb of light hit the Queen in the center of the face, and went supernova.

The term 'explosion' doesn't begin to cover what happened. Starting with an implosion, all the air in the area seemed to be absorbed by the sphere, even other mobs were pulled towards it. Then the next second, fire was coursing around me, the deafening sound like a nuclear missile going off, the force of the explosion alone ripped a tree or two out of the ground.

I was unaffected by fire, obviously, but shockwaves sent me flying, and careening into a tree so fast, my virtual spinal column snapped, paralyzing me instantaneously. After the world stopped burning, dust and ash fell from the sky, turning all visibility to zero.

"Didya get 'em?" I heard through the ringing as Klein sat next to me, putting a red potion to my lips.

I swallowed the liquid thankfully, and giggled. "I think so, I mean, that kinda went everywhere."

He shook his head. "That attack is way too powerful. Can you stand?"

I smiled weakly. "No, paralysis"

He nodded, sliding a hand under my legs, and another behind my back. "Then let's at least get you out of here."

I muttered my thanks as he lifted me up, but then a spider flew at us.

Kora appeared out of nowhere, his greatsword cleaving the pig sized arachnid in half, killing it. "Fuck you, fuck her, fuck this game!" He shouted, huffing. He turned to us. "Don't do that again, hear me?"

I laughed. "No promises!", which he gritted his teeth to.

The earth started shaking slightly, the dust parting as the Queen stood, half of her face was a bloody mess, the other badly burnt. Two of her legs were missing, and all of her spiked, black hair was singed off, the smell hanging in the air. It seemed to huff, growl, and then pounced, all three metric tons.

I screamed, instinctually shutting my eyes, so I didn't immediately see what happened next.

There was a loud scream, a crunch, and the sound of something heavy hitting the ground behind me.

I swallowed, looking over there to see a blackened mass of what used to be the Spider Queen laying there, unmoving. Then a little head with light brown pigtails poked out from under one of its legs, shouting "Gross!" At the top of her lungs. There was complete silence for a moment, and then everyone busted out laughing.

Teika came up, limping slightly, and smiled. "She is hilarious sometimes, don't you think?"

His eyes were locked on her with an expression I have never seen in him. Almost like he adored her.

He stepped forward, going to help get out of the mass, as it still hasn't despawned. After a few seconds, the window popped up, giving me my rewards for partaking in the battle.

* * *

—January 21, 2023, 20:32

—Floor 1, A little tavern in the center of The Town Of Beginnings

—Teika

"And then… now get this, this is good… and then I look to see Aoki standing there, hair all flowing everywhere, scarlet light shining everywhere, holding this tiny ball, and Silica's eyes widened like marbles, and she tackled me, covering me as Aoki let her Nova Bomb loose!" I laughed, hiccuping slightly.

The well lit establishment was actually a decent place with a lot of variety in its NPCs, and decent staff and service. This made it a prime meeting place after a boss raid, or just a great place to hang out when one is tired of dealing with life.

"And then, this is the best part, and then right after that, she stands up, me following her, and sees that the Queen was still alive, and footstools off of my shoulder, her knife slamming into its half burnt face, her screaming the entire time 'FUCK YOU!'" I tried imitating her on top of the table, backhanding a small blade into an invisible foe.

Everyone around me laughed, their flush faces alive with mirth. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned, annoyed at the interruption to see Kora with a stern look on his face. "I think that's enough drink for you" and took the mug out of my hand.

"But the party is just-*hic*- getting started!" I whined.

"You look like you are going to pass out at any moment, you should go" he smiled. "I would know, been to many bars in my lifetime I know what a man looks like when he has had enough."

"But I don't wanna!" My protest sounded immature in my falsetto voice. "I wanna be a part of the group!"

Kora sighed, and gestured to Silica, who was in a corner, passed out. "We aren't discriminating against you, just need you at full steam tomorrow. Us, more experienced drinkers, know what our limits are, and will stop when we hit that limit" it was obviously a lie, but you know how men are.

I shot him a glare, and sighed dramatically. "Fiiiine, I will take her and go."

About two hours before, Klein had challenged myself, Aoki, Silica, and Tohaku to a drinking challenge, his logic being that the game's alcohol wouldn't actually affect us. Even with my mind muddled, I was planning on how I was going to make him eat his words, because I accepted too, like an idiot. But I did stop before I got too out of control.

Although Aoki did match him shot for shot, and both were currently outside, emptying their stomachs on the cobblestone roads. That was probably the most entertaining part, knowing that they were going to regret every life choice they ever made in the morning.

I stumbled past shouting people, men bouncing glasses off of their companions, downing them, gasping, and demanding another. Women joining in occasionally, being just as rowdy and obnoxious. I made it over to sleeping Silica, and patted her shoulder lightly.

"Nng" she protested wordlessly, eyes fluttering. I smiled at her, before trying to lift.

"Kora is sending us away. Can you walk?" I asked as I slipped an arm under hers, trying to force her to stand.

"Mm hmm" she grunted in the affirmative, eyes barely half open, leaning heavily on me. Together we walked towards the stairs, and up them step by step. After reaching a door, that I hoped was ours, we stumbled inside, and I helped her go to the bed, where I tried to let her go.

But she latched onto me, dragging me down with her onto the plush surface, snuggling with my neck and chest.

The room instantly became about thirty degrees warmer, my heart pounding in my ears. "Silica… please let go" my words were a little slurred, but coherent enough to understand.

"Mm mm" she grunted, squeezing tighter.

I tried to lightly pry her from me. "That's stuff older people should be doing, not us"

"Just stay wimme" she demanded, quietly begging.

I sighed. "Fine". I kicked off my boots, and tried to lay with the bed, so I wasn't half hanging over the edge.

'You gave up way too quickly' said one half of my brain.

'So?' Said the other.

'Natsuki will think we were trying to do more than just sleep'

'To hell what she thinks. This isn't her relationship'

'She is your friend'

'Then she will understand it's all innocent.'

'A guy and a girl in a bed together. Innocent. Yeah. That's likely'

'Shut up. Lemme spoil myself every now and then'

She didn't bother removing her footwear as she clambered on top of me, cuddling so hard it was like she was trying to merge bodies. I gulped, and wrapped an arm around her, resting on the small of her back.

'Yeah. Innocent my ass'

'Fuck you, you don't have an ass'

She sighed contentedly, her breathing slowing down as she fell asleep. I yawned, quickly feeling my own battle against her sweet arms fruitless, and I was claimed too. My last thought was 'I hope we picked the right room'

"Stephen…" I heard a soft voice call out in the inky blackness of unconsciousness.

I haven't been called that name in a while, so naturally, I cocked my head to the side.

"Stephen, please don't forget me" it called again.

I know this voice. I know it all too well. For the majority of my life, that voice was my company, that voice was my island, it was my only solace. It carries me through the thick and thin, the good and bad and the ugly. A lot of the ugly. It was my companion when I needed a hand, a friend to be with. But most of all, that voice was the bane of my existence.

"Stephen, don't say things like that, they are mean. You wouldn't want to be mean to me, of all people, would you?

"You aren't a person" I argued, head whipping around, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Oh yes I am. I am sentient, conscious, and very very much have feelings."

"No" I stated clearly, although I knew it was false bravado. "You are simply a manifestation of my need for human contact, that is all."

"And those feelings have been hurt, Stephen."

"Stop calling me that" I demanded, growing frantic.

"Stop calling you your name? Oh, but Stephen, I love your name. Just as I love everything else about you."

"No you don't, now leave me alone!" I cried out into the darkness, hoping someone would help me.

"You don't need help, Stephen. You have me" I heard a high pitch, innocent giggle, and saw bright blonde hair streak across my vision, hair brighter than the rays of the sun.

* * *

 _You wanna find a random quest, go to a bar. They have some of the nastiest, yet most desperate NPCs ever. Also, if you need a friend, go to a bar. A bed? A bar. A drink? A bar. Just don't bring Aoki, she wont stop drinking._

— _Argo the Rat; Beta Tester's Handbook._


	8. Chapter 8- Old Gods

**hello again, people of Aincrad! Welcome to my domain, where Aoki nukes anyone who makes a period joke!**

 ** _Part One: Champion Of Fire_**

* * *

 _Some quests have to be activated, so to say. Like, you complete an objective and multiple quests pop up around it. Keep that in mind, because some of these quests are… mandatory…_

 _-Argo the Rat, Beta Tester's Handbook_

 _Edit, Godfree: Do not let the little rascal scare you. Just because she couldn't finish a singular quest, she is grumpy about the thought of mandatory objectives._

* * *

— January 20, 2023, 14:01

— Floor 5, Northern Mountains

— Yoriko

As the surface slid below the ground, I couldn't help the shiver going down my spine. A gasp from Johnny showed his surprise at the room behind the wall, but almost immediately, we were assailed by a foul odor, making each of us cover our noses before PoH entered, holding his flaming torch aloft like he was lighting the Olympic Brazar.

A gust of wind blew from the chamber, making the torch flicker, its light faltering substantially. What sounded like a whispered sigh could almost be heard, a shiver ran down my spine.

Xaxa stepped forward, annoyed at our hesitance. "Gimme that" he demanded, snatching the torch from PoH. "There is nothing to be afraid of."

As soon as he said that, we knew he jinxed it, but we didn't have time to warn him as he rushed through the entrance, and as soon as the firelight filled the room, he stopped dead in his tracks.

The room seemed about fifteen meters deep and ten meters wide, the walls lined with unlit torches. On the far side was a raised dais, on it laid a sarcophagus that seemed to be etched from darkness itself.

The figure had his eyes closed, the standard garb for Egyptian pharaohs adorned his small frame. His eyes were closed, but what fascinated me were the two items he was holding in his hands crossed over his chest. In one, was a three tailed flail, in the other was a shepherd's crook, each painted in gold.

Swallowing hard, I looked around the rest of the room, and when I turned back to the wall that we entered, I let out a yelp of surprise, alerting everyone else. Two jackal-headed warriors adorned the walls, each armed with a spear in their right hand and that hooked Egyptian sword called a khopesh fastened to their belts.

Johnny walked up to one of the statues carved from the same black, lustrous material, laying his hand on the arm of the warrior gripping its primary weapon. Johnny wasn't short by any means, but this thing towered over his head by at least half, although probably closer to a whole, one meter.

"Damn. This is cool" he muttered, fingers glossing over the surface.

"Careful" I cautioned him. "Your inner nerd is starting to show."

He chuckled, stepping away from the statue. "Sorry about that. Used to be really into that kinda stuff, you know? They always fascinated me."

"Nah, no prob. Just don't have a nerdgasm and we'll fine, cuz I know for damn sure I ain't cleaning that up." I waved him off, turning back to the sarcophagus. Which had its eyes open, and were staring right at me.

I froze in place, staring right back. "Guys, this tomb is a perv" I commented, pointing to the pair of eyes boring into mine.

PoH walked forward, and waved his hand in front of them, and when they didn't track his hand, I stepped to the side, and they followed.

"Well. That's a weird porn title" Xaxa thought aloud. "Little Asian schoolgirl takes two thousand year old mature cock."

"Fuck you" I spat at him.

"Sure!" He responded opening his arms wide, as though he were being serious. Thankfully PoH came to my rescue.

"Hey, can we stop fighting and figure out what we are supposed to do now?" He asked, annoyed by our antics.

Xaxa and I both glared at him for a moment, before letting it go, of course sending withering glances at each other every few seconds, because why not, right?

PoH was muttering to himself, and walked closer to one of the side walls, decorated in ancient hieroglyphs. Standing beside him, I saw that many of the pictures were of men kneeling to another man, holding the crook and flail, while others featured a snake.

One particularly gruesome image was that of a king wielding a knife by a body of another person, their chest cut open, and a serpent beside it, mouth around the human heart.

I sneered in disgust at that one, turning away. Eating hearts for some ritual just isn't my thing, sorry if you are into that, because I sure as hell am not.

"I just want to wake the damn pharaoh, is that too much to ask?" PoH yelled in frustration, shaking his head.

"Who disturbs my slumber" the voice was as deep as a sub bass, and seemed to reverberate through our very bones.

We all recoiled slightly, eyes snapping to the sarcophagus, its eyes boring into me still. I stuck my tongue out at it for good measure.

"I, PoH, and my companions-" he started, taking a step forward, voice as confident and powerful as ever, but he was interrupted by the voice once more.

"I do not care for your names, mortals. Tell me your business and why you have disturbed my eternal sleep."

Surprised, PoH's bravado faltered greatly. "Well, you see, I wish to restore the Old Gods to their former glory, and you may be the only being who can do that."

"Hmmm. Interesting. You wish to awaken Apophis and Amun-Ra? Very interesting" the voice seemed perplexed.

"Yes, yes I do" PoH stated firmly, regaining his confidence. "And you will help me."

The voice chuckled, sending shivers down my spine. I didn't get what was going on, never hearing of an Apophis or Amun-Ra, but this dude. Was giving me some major creepy vibes.

"Do not think I will be working for you human. No, you shall be my slave until they are resurrected from their shallow graves."

"How do I awaken you?" PoH asked, looking at the carvings on the walls. "I don't see the answer around me."

"There is a book, called the Book Of the Dead. It contains all the secrets to death, and how to reverse it. You must retrieve that."

"And where can I find this book? PoH demanded, but only silence answered his plea. Sighing, he turned. "I think that's all the info we are getting."

"That was about half useless" Johnny commented. "How do we find a book when we don't even have an objective area to search in?"

"Simple" I replied, smiling. "Look in a bar!"

I got blank stares from the whole group. "Oh come on, don't you read these things?" I pulled out the Beta Testers' Handbook. In which they each shook their heads, I continued. "Fine, well, the Beta's put together a collection of all they know, and one thing Argo found out is that bars and taverns are a great place to get any piece of info needed in the city."

PoH scratched his head for a second, looking off into the imaginary distance. "But which city would we start with? There are at least ten on the floor. That could take weeks of searching."

"Or we start with Cairo, since its the biggest, and most likely to have something we need!" Xaxa punched his hand in triumph, happy to contribute.

"Good idea, we will teleport to Cairo, and go from there." PoH nodded to each of us in turn. "Let's find The Book Of Death!"

* * *

—January 20, 2023, 15:22

— Floor Two, Urbus

— Wraith

The small shops around us were bustling with mid afternoon activity, selling discounted wares that weren't actually discounted, just the price was raised beforehand, and lowered back to its original.

Sato followed close behind me, trying to not draw attention to herself, dressed in her sparkly black gown that must've cost a fortune even on the floor it's available. I pushed through a crowd standing in front of a podium where a man was praising Dues Chile for his greatness, but I had long started to ignore him.

As I shoved past a rather large man, he put his hand on my shoulder. "Gonna watch where you're going, bud?" He asked, voice unnaturally deep.

I sighed. 'Bloody typical to be stopped by something like that'

«Just block him out and keep moving» Satome said behind me, using her neurolink.

I tried to do as she asked, but he persisted, forcing me to face him. "What's a masked guy like you escorting this purdy young thing?" He gestured to my companion.

"We don't want trouble" Sato replied, taking a step away from him.

"I think this guy is up to no good" he said. "I will take care of him, and then you an I can continue where you are going."

"Just leave us alone, please" Sato begged.

«I will make this quick» I said to her silently, and I could feel her eyes on my back.

"Sir, if you would please let go of me so I could take my friend and leave, it would be much appreciated" I said, keeping my voice level.

"Oh? How about you just back off bud, and let the pretty little girl and I go on ahead?" He reached for Sato's hand, making her recoil slightly.

My hand grabbed the blade strapped to my waist, the familiar handle bolstering my confidence. "I said back off."

The crowd around me moved away, forming a large circle around the three of us, mutters and excited shouts rippling through them.

He pulled an arming sword out of a sheathe on his belt, wielding it as though he has had little practice actually using it. "You wanna fight? Let's fight bud."

I sized him up, looking at all of his characteristics. He stood just under two meters tall, and seemed to be about one hundred twenty five kilos, not of muscle. This was almost too easy.

"I will give you one chance to apologize" I said, trying to be fair to him.

"Nah bud, you ran through me. You better apologize to me and the young lady over there who you are inconveniencing."

I drew my okatana, relishing in the meter and a half of gleaming steel. Not a single notch on the razor blade, it was kept in perfect condition. I gripped the linen wrapped hilt with two hands, and stood with my right foot in front of my left, in a basic kendo stance.

Now seeing his opposition, I noted a hint of fear in his eyes, and his fingers shifted their grip on his sword.

Then he rushed at me, swinging his blade in a wide horizontal arc. I deftly parried and pushed him on the ground, pointing my weapon at his throat. He gulped, and stared into the black lenses of my mask, unable to see my smirk of satisfaction.

I sheathed my blade, and bowed slightly to him, and started on my way off, but he couldn't accept that defeat, and I could hear him rushing behind me. Sidestepping, I stuck my foot out, catching his, and he tumbled over.

"Just quit while you have a head" came a gruff voice from behind me. I turned to see brass plated town guards, hands on their sheathed weapons.

The man stood, and stalked off, muttering curses behind his back. I stared after him, making sure he didn't try anything a third time.

I then turned to the guards, one stepping forward, holding out his hand. "I'm the deputy captain of the town guard. What is your name?"

I grabbed his hand, and Satome spoke for me. "My name is Infinite, and this is my companion, Wraith."

He nodded to her. "Don't mind him, Jones has always been a drunk, and a little handsy. He is harmless if you know how to dodge that sword he always wears."

He looked down my hand, eyes widening slightly. "Sorry, Wraith, I am going to have to request you remove your gloves. Safety precaution."

Tilting my head, I did as he asked, and stuffed the garment into my tunic's inner breast pocket.

Nodding, he looked around him. "Carry on" he called to the crowd, which immediately dispersed, going back to their activities. "Anything else I can do for you?"

«Ask him his name, and about the church» I quickly told Sato.

"Could we have your name, sir?" Sato asked, doe-eyed, playing the part of dumb bimbo.

"Sure, miss. I am Kinto. The captain is Isle, and if you ever need anything around here, don't hesitate to ask" he smiled slightly.

"Oh yeah, and where is the nearest church?" She tilted her head to the side, inquiring.

After giving us directions, we headed off the way he pointed. Sato was holding onto my left hand, I lead her through the crowd, and to the tall oak doors of the Urbus Church.

Upon entering, I noticed the lighting was dimmer than expected, the windows all covered with dark curtains. I glanced around and saw the usual expected: the pews, confession table, altar, and office room were all in the same spot. A wooden cross with a brass human figure attached to the front adorned the wall behind the speaker's podium.

The door to the left of the podium opened, and an old man with a slight limp exited. He was wearing the garb of clergy, and even with his unsteady feet, he walked upright, and surefooted.

"Hello, and welcome to the House Of God. How may I help you two?" He asked, his voice sounding as ancient as he looked.

Sato stepped forward again, this time reaching towards me. "We have something from a church near Horunka for you. The church in the mountains."

I handed her the Bible, and she transferred it to him, at which point, he opened it, immediately saw the missing pages. "Well, this is bad. How did you know to bring it to me?" He asked.

I stepped forward, taking the book, and flipping to the back, to a note left by the preacher on floor one. After reading it, he sighed.

"This is a mighty large predicament my children, a mighty large one indeed." He groaned, and stretched his back some, and proceeded to walk towards the statue behind the podium. "Come back tomorrow morning, and I will have instructions for you then."

I nodded, and turned to leave, but Sato hissed at me "That's it? We risked our lives to deliver a book and get 'come back tomorrow'?"

«That's how games work» I responded, grabbing her arm, and pulling her lightly. «But more than likely, there is something else for us to do here.»

Shaking off my arm, she followed, eyes averted to the side. When we exited, night was already falling, sun setting in the distance. I took a second to marvel at the System's detail, hues being cast all over the evening sky.

"Excuse me, young warriors?" Came a falsely timid voice beside me. I turned to see the man earlier, preaching to the crowd about Dues Ciel.

"'Sup" Sato responded, tilting her head to the side.

He was a little shorter than I, and his frame was a little more lithe, but there was something off about the way he moved. It was almost like every action was premeditated and calculated.

"I was wondering if you could help me, Ungeared?" He stared expectantly at me, ignoring Sato.

"She spoke" I just stared back at him. "Answer her."

He blinked rapidly, a nervous smile spreading across his lips. "My apologies, I was not thinking straight." He turned to Satome. "I have another convention tomorrow in the center plaza, and was wondering if you two could act as crowd control?"

"Define crowd control" Satome asked, squinting slightly. The way he said that sounded like a little bit more than just protection.

"Well, some people don't like what I preach and bring to them, those unappreciative Ungeared. I am asking you to remove anyone causing trouble in the crowd."

Satome and I exchanged glances. "Seems fine to us" she responded.

 **Just so you know, I won't post the next chapter until I get at least 3 reviews on the previous. I need to know if what I am doing is good, bad, or just plain ugly so I can make appropriate changes. Thanks!**


	9. Chapter 9-Temple to Aria

**I am back! for now! with the longest chapter i have written yet! love all of you for supporting me!**

 ** _Part one: Champion Of Fire_**

* * *

 _Keep your friends close and your enemies closer_

* * *

—January 20, 2023. 16:48

—Floor 2, Urbus

— Satome

The streets were packed with bustling people, herding around like lost sheep in this unknown pasture of cement, wood, and stone. The compression of bodies was beyond uncomfortable, and while I wasn't claustrophobic, this was giving me a reason to be.

Wraith was a little ways in front of me, pushing through the crowd, trying to follow this little preacher guy. His job was much harder than mine, because his escort was about half the size of him while Wraith stood well over my head, and was easy to spot.

He lead us to a brick and stone clock tower, sitting near the center of the city. It's tall, rough walls looked over us, casting long shadows upon the mass of bodies. On the front were two stone knights, standing tall and firm, cogs ejected from their backs. The stone was smooth, and glossy, like granite, but I didn't have time to inspect further as I was dragged into the tower.

Inside, the noise level dropped enormously as the solid wooden doors barred the crowd from the peace and serenity of the inside. But here, a different noise was heard. The noise of small metal pieces clinking with other chunks of metal.

Tables with scattered scrap were slung against the walls, a rather large, hunched figure at most of them, putting various parts of the scrap together. Some used screwdrivers, others hammered softly, bending sheet metal to fit on a frame.

"This place looks more like a workshop than a church" I said, marveling as smaller boys hustled out of a semi-concealed door across the hall, bringing buckets to each worked, who discarded some unneeded pieces.

"We strive to take the old, and broken, and make it new and refurbished. All mechanical parts of this tower were built from scrap, discarded by ancient workers, smiths under the guidance of Dues Ciel himself" the preacher turned towards us, smiling as he lectured.

I looked up, and gasped. The ceiling must have been twenty kilometers above, and it was adorned with a portrait of a machine. What the machine did, I had no clue, but it was marvelous nonetheless.

"Anyone may enter this House, and use our master crafters to help them with their technical needs, from watch and clock repair to creating mechanical lift. We have the best inventors from all of Aincrad here." His confidence radiated around him as he gestured towards the workbenches.

"So. What did you want us to do again?" I interrupted, done with all the stalling.

"Shortly, I am going to address the Ungeared populous. During that time you simply stand guard and… remove any undesirables" he stared expectantly at us.

Wraith and I shared a glance, me shrugging. "Let's do this then"

* * *

—January 22, 2023. 12:06

—Floor 1, near Horunka

— Eleven

The dense forests were lush with life, green and not. Trees rustled with a pleasant breeze, lights dancing on the underbrush and dirt ground. Chirping was heard occasionally in the canopy as avians searched for mates in this world.

My party followed behind me as we walked, enjoying the environment, chatting with one another. Our footsteps crunched on fallen leaves and twigs, the only silent one was Sinon, invisible to the untrained eye paces ahead of us.

"So, where are we going?" Tryth asked behind me, his voice being swallowed by the soft bark surrounding us.

"A place called The Sanctum" I replied over my shoulder, their quizzical eyes staring at me.

"And what's at The Sanctum?" Nora spoke up, thumbs playing nervously between her clasped hands.

"The Keeper" My krypton responses brought even more puzzled glances, and I smiled in reassurance.

"And-" Tryth started, but he was cut off.

"We are here." Sinon approached from ahead, nodding at my silent question. "There are three Watchers tailing you. Making sure you don't try anything they don't like."

I bit my bottom lip, taking an involuntary glance around me, as though the Watchers would let themselves be known. Facing Sinon, I thought for a moment.

"We will continue as planned. If they make any hostile moves, I want you to make an example out of one of them." I said to my second in command, who seemed to melt into the shade of a tree at my words.

"What are these Watchers?" Siren called to me, catching up.

"Just some mobs that don't appreciate visitors to the Sanctum" I answered. "Let's go."

Starting off again, we passed a toppled stone pillar, the once white surface grey and cracked with age, weathered down by many virtual storms from many virtual ages. After a few more meters, another one stood, half laying down, the other half mostly intact. The rough edges prominent, telling of its trying past, its survival. Then the trees parted to reveal a clearing.

A massive marble temple stood, columns supporting the vaulted ceiling and archway, all that same ages grey, like an elder's hair color. Stairs lead to the front entrance, my tough hide boots clapping on them as I walked.

"This is… The Sanctum…?" Nora asked, voicing everyone else's thought for them, her surprise leaving her breathless.

"Yep" I said, whipping around on the top step. "Siren, Tryth, stay out here. Aroma and Nora will follow me inside."

"Why?" Tryth asked defiantly, unconsciously sticking out his lower jaw.

"Because only women and girls are allowed inside The Sanctum" I replied honestly. "You will wait out here. Besides, both of you are leagues ahead of them"

Tryth simmered for a moment, but stopped being rebellious, my compliment soothing his injured ego.

Siren sat on a step. "We will be here when you get back" he said, resting his head on his hand.

A hand grabbed my shoulder, making me jump, whipping out a knife to defend myself. Seeing it was Sinon, a minuscule smile on her face from her mischief turning my cheeks red in embarrassment.

"We going?" She asked, waving to Nora and Aroma, who in turn nodded without a word, still in awe over the detail of this ruin.

Sheathing my dagger, I walked to the entrance, the oak doors having rotten off their hinges many decades ago. The sunlight from the outside only got so far into the temple however, and the inside was darker than the twilight before the sun rises. A massive slam resonated through the hall, the doors that had lain aside the opening now blocked it off, keeping the light out.

"Umm… that shouldn't have happened…" Nora's thin voice quivered. "They weren't even hanging from their hinges…"

"This is a game. Anything can happen" I responded, glancing around in the inky blackness.

The air became cold, and humid, breathing being difficult as a decrepit scent assailed out nostrils. A whisper was heard, barely audible. "Who dares venture to the Sanctum?"

"I, Eleven, have come back with a decision on Lady Aria's gracious offer!" I proclaimed, trying to keep myself from coughing. "I bring three maidens with me, one of whom has been here before, and has made a decision as well!"

"Very well. The Huntress shall see you" came the whisper, making me sigh in relief.

Suddenly, the smell was gone, as was the temple. We were in an open field, short grass covering the plains. Before us was a young girl in a simple white dress laying, and staring above.

Her hair was black as ash, eyes dark as the midnight blue sky above, and full of light as the blankets of stars. Freckles adorned her cheeks, giving her an even more girlish aura, telling nothing of the millennia she had seen. Her thin white arms clasped behind her head, her eyes not leaving her scene.

"Hello Levi" She said, voice bouncy, as expected from someone of that stature, pronouncing the nickname Lev-ee.

"Aria" I acknowledged, nodding, before strolling over to her, laying down beside. I too stared at the starry expanse above me, filled with wonder. I heard Sinon whisper to the other girls to leave us alone, and keep silent.

"Been a little while" she giggled, tilting her head towards me with a smile. "Good to see you again"

I returned the warm smile. "Good to see you too. How've you been?"

"Meh. The usual" she said, sighing, eyes turning upwards. She looked melancholy for a moment before continuing. "Do you ever want to reach out, and touch one of them? To see all of the stars? To be able to say 'yeah, I have been there' and tell epic stories of adventure?"

I blinked rapidly. "Yeah, all the time. Why?"

Another long and mournful sigh. "I am stuck here. Unable to go out and see what Creation has made recently. Unable to laugh, love, and live with others. Just trapped. And I don't think anything can free me" the sad look on her face made me want to comfort her, but I restrained myself. That would be undignifying to a God of her stature.

My eyes widened, 'I don't think she realizes just how much of a fourth wall break that was…'

"Yeah you will" I promised, sitting up. Her eyes snapped to mine, a frown on her face.

"Don't make promises you can't keep" she scolded, sneering. "It Isn't nice to tease me like that"

"It's not teasing. I will free you. I will take you out of here. Take you to a city, we will love, live, and laugh together. You hear me? I promise." My resolute voice rang in my ears slightly.

A slight smile spread across her lips. "Thanks for the thought. But you would have to slay the Keeper. And no one besides another God can do that."

I opened my inventory, pulling out a book. "Actually, I did some digging" I started, flipping pages. "The Keepers were made to trap the Gods, and to be able to subdue them, as Gods cannot be slain. So, by that logic, what you need is a human, a mortal to challenge the Keeper." I closed the book after confirming my declaration.

"How would a mortal, or even an army take on a being that is meant to fell someone like me?" She asked, sitting up and staring into my eyes.

I looked behind me at Sinon, Aroma, and Nora who were paying close attention to our conversation. Turning back to Aria, I said "With a little help"

* * *

—Tryth

Right after the girls left to speak to whoever owned this massive temple, Siren and I sat on the stairs, awaiting their return. But boredom soon took over, as I wasn't much of a nature freak, so the surrounding trees and wildlife wouldn't be able to hold my interest.

"Hey" Siren said, elbowing me. "Would you bang Eleven?"

I blinked rapidly, caught unawares by the invasive question. Swiping a blonde lock out of my eyes, I countered "Why in hell do you ask that?"

He let out a short bark of a laugh. "Cuz we are guys, dude. It's like, the thing we are known for talking about?" He wiggled his eyebrows at me. "Just admit you want her"

I shook my head. "Not really. Way too stuck up for my liking."

"So? She got a nice ass though" he whistled in appreciation. "Just think about gettin' a handful…"

I punched him lightly. "I won't hide that I am a horndog, but at least I have respect for girls. Seriously."

He laughed. "Fuck that man, you know they feel the same about us, right?" Before I could answer, four figures entered the clearing.

Humanoid figures shrouded in white cloaks, cowls pulled over where their face would have been. They stood a little over two meters tall, but seemed thin and lanky for their height. On the center of each cloak, where the chest would be, was an eye, and something about it sent a shiver down my spine.

I stood, pulling my bow off of my shoulder, notching an arrow swiftly. "May i help you?" I called out to the group, staying near the edge of the clearing, no more than thirty meters away.

A voice emanated from all four at once, sounding more like a wretch than actual words, and as one they rushed towards us, moving inhumanly fast.

I had enough time to shoot one arrow, and then discard the bow for a knife before I was engaged in melee. My projectile slammed into one of their heads, whiplashing it back, but the thing didn't even stumble.

As expected, they split two and two, to overwhelm us quickly. The one targeting me to my right lashed out, a decrepit purple hand reaching for me. I backed away instinctively, slashing haphazardly with my blade, missing by a hair's breadth.

My back against a solid stone pillar, the one on my left advanced. Trying a different tactic this time, I rushing at it as well. Yelling in rage, I lowered my shoulder, ducking underneath its outstretched arm, tackling the thing, wrestling for dominance.

I came out on bottom, but tucked my legs in towards my chest, and heaved, pushing it off of me. Standing, I was grabbed from behind, the other trapping me in a not-so-loving embrace.

I heard a scream of defiance, and then a gold liquid burst forth from behind me, the thing letting go of me. Swinging around, I shoved my knife deep into its chest, seeing the arrow in the side of its head. Pushing the injured foe down, I finished it off with multiple stabs to the head, the explosion of blue shards telling of its death.

"Tryth!?" I heard Siren scream in fear. I clambered to my feet just in time to see two of the enemies holding his arms out, the third gripping his neck. Before I could do anything, his head was ripped from his body, and he too turned into floating glass.

I gulped, eyes wide. My heart rate sped, adrenaline pumping through my veins, my fight or flight instincts silently screaming at me to get the hell out of there. But my legs wouldn't respond to my urgent pleas. One of the things started to approach me, but then the temple exploded.

My vision was hazy, my whole body seemed numb. I gulped, and rolled over onto my stomach, bracing my hands to push myself to my feet. After managing that simple task, I staggered, leaning against a massive chunk of pillar next to me for support.

Looking towards the temple, I saw a ten foot tall floating eyeball, with tentacles sprouting from underneath and behind it. A name appeared above it, [Keeper of the Hunt], along with three health bars.

I turned my eyes towards my right to see the white cloaked enemies weren't daring as well as I was, as they had been a little closer to the temple before it had been reduced to chunks of stone everywhere. One of them was missing, and the other two were soaked in that same golden liquid that I guessed was their blood.

I limped over to the nearest one, pulling a dagger from the back of my belt, slicing open the back of its head, killing it. It's friend received the same brutal treatment, giving me the temporary satisfaction of revenge.

"Tryth!" I heard, Nora appearing beside me, shoving a health potion into my hands, and all but forcing me to drink it. After I downed the red flask, and got my ribs crushed by her hug, relieved by me living, she asked "Where's Siren?"

With a brief shake of my head, I closed the subject, turning back to the Keeper, a whispering sound that barely made words seemed to come from everywhere at once. "I am the Keeper of the Hunt, destroyer of Gods! Do you mortals really think you can fell me?"

I pulled my bow out of my inventory, notching an arrow, sending it right into the pupil of the damned thing, a shriek heard immediately.

"Fool! I will end all of your puny lives!" It grabbed a nearby chunk of stone, hurdling it in my direction. I got tackled by Nora before I had time to react, thanking her with a pat on her back before I took cover behind a much larger piece of the temple. Peeking around, I scanned the battlefield to see Eleven, Sinon, and Aroma on the other side, also hiding behind their own boulder. I then glanced towards the boss, and saw that the arrow I fired hadn't done any visible damage, just pissed it off.

"Why did you aggro it?" Nora asked, fear in her eyes. "You could have died!"

"Yeah, but it was annoying me" I shrugged. "Thinking it was better than us. It was trying to piss me off."

She sighed in dejection. "Whatever. How are we going to survive this?" She peeked around the corner, ducking when another projectile missed by a couple meters.

"Easy" I pulled another arrow from my quiver. "Kill it."

I ran out, taking a firm stance a little ways away, the Keeper staring straight at me, my first bolt protruding from the edge of the iris I hit. Pulling the drawstring back, I took in and held a breath as it's tentacles searched for something to throw at me. Letting the string go, I immediately rolled to the right, and took off towards more cover from the behemoth.

Another shriek told me my aim was true, but I knew fighting like this would take forever. And what would happen if it decided to abandon its perch, and came into the clearing?

Screams of ethereal agony reached my ears, and I hazarded a peek to see Eleven and Sinon, side by side firing arrow after arrow into the Keeper, none of them missing. It turned towards its new gnats, livid at their attempts to usurp it. "Foolish mortals, surrender now and your deaths will be quick!"

It started moving towards them, but they kept aiming and releasing projectiles. I gritted my teeth, and stood, following suit, pounding the Keeper relentlessly. Alone, the wooden shafts wouldn't do much anything against a boss-level enemy. But when you have three archers all shooting? Or when two more join in? That's where the fun begins.

Nora stood beside me, unslinging her bow from her shoulder, getting ready to join, as was Aroma on the far side. Being pelted like this from its front and rear, the bot didn't know what to do and froze for a second, letting us shave its health down. Then it jumped. Right at Eleven, Sinon and Aroma.

I dropped my bow, throwing my nearly empty quiver away as I ran forward, knife already in hand. I heard a scream as Aroma was lifted high above by multiple writhing tentacles. An arrow flew from behind me, striking one of them, and it dropped her immediately. When she landed, she didn't get up, unconscious.

It had Sinon and Eleven pinned next to a chunk of stone, its boneless limbs flailing, both of the girls had panic in their eyes. I gritted my teeth, and picked up the pace. 'Just a few more seconds…'

I jumped on a smaller chunk of pillar, using my momentum to carry myself to a larger one, and then a larger one, the process repeated until I was a little over the height of the Keeper, leaping at the back of its eye, blade backhanded, scream of defiance from my lips. My knife was plunged into the top of the mounted eye, our screams mixing in dissonant harmony as it flung me around, trying to dislodge me.

It's flailing tentacles slammed into my body, but I hung on, letting its own movement drive the knife deeper, damaging further. After a second or two, my legs were grabbed, and I was flung away, my vision going dark on impact with an obstacle.

My whole body was in agony as I tried to sit up, rubbing my eyes furiously. Feeling a hand on my shoulder, and a glass opening placed on my lips, I drank another potion, my sight slowly being restored.

The instant I could see, a blinding flash of light brightened the entire clearing, and then the sky turned to midnight. My sight was drawn to a young teenage girl standing at the top of the stairs of what used to be the temple. She was wearing full leather gear, from tunic and pants to gloves and heavy boots. A bow was in her hand, a quiver attached to her belt.

"Ahh, Aria has left her prison. Do you really think you can fight me? A god-killer?" The Keeper laughed, its first health bar not even halfway through after all of our work.

"Nope. But I can do this" she leapt, flipping over the Keeper and landing next to Eleven.

She stared at the goddess, eyes wide in amazement. "How did you…. get out…?"

"I could always leave, but the Keeper was watching the entrance to my world, so if I tried, I would be beaten and thrown back in." Aria laughed it off like it was no big deal. "Now then. Eleven, I bestow upon you the top-most honor I can. I would like you to be my Champion. Do you accept this?"

Eyes already wide, Eleven's jaw dropped. "But why me?" She stuttered, barely able to form words.

"Because I see how you fight. You don't do it for yourself, you do it for others. You promised to free me when no one else would even visit. You are in combat with the very thing that swore to hold me for all eternity for my sake. You are the most deserving of this gift, please accept it" she placed her hand on Eleven's forehead, a glow emanating from the contact.

She gulped, and closed her eyes. "I accept"

 **Hoped you like the chapter! please review!**


	10. Chapter 10-Trinity pt 1

**This has been long in production, sorry for the wait! i am trying to get on a more regular writing schedule, so i can produce chapters more regularly**

 **thanks to all who have been helping with this story, from Failtastic to my awesome beta,** **WeirdoHasARayGUN, who has been annoying me to finally aknowlage him.**

 _ **Part one: Champion of Fire**_

* * *

 _You don't realize how much you love something until it's gone_

— _anonymous_

* * *

—Pre-SAO

—Trinity

I slumped against the shut door to my bedroom, sighing heavily. Flipping the lock, I staggered towards a bed set on the opposite side with my eyes closed, flopping on its plush surface, not even bothering to take my backpack off. I groaned in discomfort, slipping the straps off, and tilting just far enough so it collapsed defeated on the carpet floor,

There was a soft knock on the door, alerting me to an unwanted visitor. I hesitated a moment, letting my mind think through whether I really desired to be bothered right now.

"Fuck off" I replied, face buried in the mattress, but voice still very audible. But another knock was heard.

Agitated, I stood, and briskly crossed the room, throwing open the door to reveal my sister. Gasping, she raised a hand to her mouth, staring at my right eye.

She was about fifteen centimeters shorter than I, pure Japanese blood evident in her face and body features. She still wore her school uniform, the drab greys and beige clinging to her slight frame.

"What do you want?" I sneered at her, making my frustration very evident.

"What happened to you?" She muttered, reaching out with a hand, and softly touching my swollen eye, worry and pity written all over her features.

I turned away, going to shut the door. "Nothing, go away" I nearly spat, trying to be alone.

But she caught the sliding barrier with her hand, squeezing through the meager gap quicker than I could push her out, and then shut it behind her. Without a word she took my arm and lead me to the Jack and Jill bathroom we shared.

I let myself be pushed onto the toilet, as she searched through a cabinet for various first aid materials. I sighed in exasperation. "I can do this myself" I muttered, staring at the ground.

"Don't worry. I got you" she grasped my chin firmly, lifting my head up and to the side so she could get a better view of the damage. This had me staring at my own reflection in the mirror above a white porcelain sink. I hated how I looked. Half of my face had the strong, Nordic jawline, bright blue eye, and thick lips that came with my Northern European lineage. The other half was swollen, eye forced shut with pus. Cuts and scrapes patterned my cheek, scanned over recently.

She pulled my red dyed hair away from the afflicted area, lips pursed tight. "Who did this to you?" She asked, dampening a rag in the sink before using to softly clean my cheek.

"I tripped" I muttered, eyes stuck on her mirrored actions in the glass surface. I winced slightly as my sore face told me it really didn't like what she was doing, but I did my best to ignore it.

"Let me try again then" she said tursely, using a little more force to persuade me into telling the truth. "Who did this to you?"

I gritted my teeth, speaking through them metaphorically and literally. "I said I tripped".

She sighed, dripping some rubbing alcohol on the rag, and dabbing it onto the marks, making me gasp, biting my tongue from the sting the shot through my face.

"I promise to not tell mom and dad. Just please open up to me" she begged, laying a hand on my left forearm, causing me to wince again.

She paused, before sliding my sleeve up to see how swollen my wrist was. She stared dead into my eyes, not accepting anything but the truth. "Anywhere else?".

I shook my head and she started bandaging my arm before putting first aid cream on the abrasions on my face. "Last time. Who did it?"

Sighing, defeated, I answered. "Just some people from class"

"Why?" She demanded, placing her fists on her hips, her bravado almost comical.

'Cuz I'm not them' I wanted to say. I wanted to scream it out, crying to the stars. But I didn't. "Because I insulted their mothers repeatedly" I lied.

She giggled, unable to control it. "That's a good one." Regaining her composure, she ruffled my hair. "Seriously though, why?"

I stood, and started walking away. "Don't worry about it"

"I said I wouldn't tell them if you told the truth." She stopped me in my tracks with her words. "So talk"

"Because, Sayori" I spun, angrily raising my voice a little, spitting words. "I'm not like them. I'm not like you, or your mom and dad. I'm different and they don't like it"

She backed away, startled by my sudden aggression. "What do you mean?"

I gestured to the half of my face that looked like it was supposed to. "Look at me, damnit. I am white as hell in a Japanese school, where everyone are taught how the white people rule the world, and fuck over everyone who stands between them and power!"

Her scared expression pierced my vehemence, jerking me back into the present.i lowered my head, shoulders slumping. "I'm sorry"

I strolled away, ignoring her as she called my name quietly. I shut the door from the bathroom to my room without a second thought, and sat on my bed, eyes fixed on my knees.

'I shouldn't have snapped' I gulped, regret pounding in my head. 'But I just couldn't control myself…'

She was the only one who called me by my real name, Trinity Jakobsen. No one else acknowledged I was ever once called that, instead replaced it with Asai Naofumi. Almost like they wanted to erase who I was.

"Not almost" I sneered. "Fuckin' people want to obliterate me entirely. Just can't"

"Trinity…?" I heard her tap on the door from the bathroom.

"She is so damn stubborn" I muttered, opening the door for her. "Yeah?"

She stepped back, obviously scared of me snapping again. I averted my gaze guiltily, and was surprised when she suddenly wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tight.

"Trinity… please talk to me…" She stuttered, the words barely forming as she sobbed into my shirt. "Not everyone… hates you"

I returned the embrace. "Sorry Sayori. I know not everyone does. Just hard to see the sky when your head is in the ground"

She backed away, wiping a tear from her eyes, smiling. "Then let's lift you up, yes?"

I nodded, smiling weakly. "What do you want to know?"

"Just start from the beginning. And you better include why your hair is red"

* * *

I rolled my head, neck popping loudly. I dropped the small sack onto my desk, pulling out a sandwich for the lunch break. The bland meat on white bread was dry in my mouth as I ate. Around me, everyone stayed at least four meters away, occasional glances full of scorn were shot at me.

Ignoring them, I continued my meal. Not like this had happened every day for the past years or anything, since I transferred from an American controlled school to a Japanese one.

A girl sat in the chair next to me, surprising myself and everyone else in the room, drawing attention to the pair of us. I turned towards her slowly, swallowing the piece of food in my mouth in the process.

"Hello!" She said cheerfully smiling. "My name is Coda Akatsuki!"

Following her politeness, I responded with my name. "Hey. I'm-"

She waved me off. "I know, Trinity"

This caused murmurs across the room, people outright staring at us. I blew them off, as my own astonishment was comparable, at her knowing my birth name. "How do you know that name?"

Cocking her head to the side, her smile widened. "Some people care more about you than you allow yourself to believe"

This caught me off guard, forcing me to pause before talking again. "I don't know what Sayori has been telling you, but please leave me alone"

She seemed to pout. "This isn't about Sayori. This is about you, Trinity." After giving me a moment to process this comment, she stood, gesturing. "Come on for a moment. I want to speak in private"

Following dutifully, the people parted, staring unashamed as we passed, whispers hushed, as though we didn't know what their unadulterated attention was on. Out into the brightly sunlit hallway, she lead me down a flight of stairs to a pair of broken vending machines.

"Call this private?" I teased, slouching against one of them.

"Since these are out of order, no one ever bothers coming down here. If someone does, it's cuz they're spying!" She shot me a playful wink before leaning against the same vendor as me, the brightly lit screen advertising some overpriced can of coffee, and she seemed interested in it, but obviously faking.

"What'd you wanna say?" I asked, heaving a sigh. I could feel her perk up, and turn back to me, smiling.

"Help me tip the machine" she demanded, grabbing a side. I shrugged, confused, but obeyed. We both pulled, tilting it forward at about sixty degrees. "Hold it!" She commanded, letting go, leaving me to strain under its weight. She ducked under it, sticking her hand up the hole where one retrieves their product. After a few solid thumps and bangs, she helped me push it back into place.

Producing four cans of the coffee on display, she handed me two before cracking one open herself, taking a long draw from it. "That hits the spot!" She sighed in satisfaction, shooting me a smile.

"How did you know that would work?" I asked her, drinking from my own.

"Saw some boys from four-C do it last week. And before you ask, even though it doesn't work, the coffee company still stocks this one for some stupid reason."

"Damn. That is so exploitable" I thought out loud. "So, Coda-"

"Call me Akutsuki" she said, inching a little closer to me.

Ok then… Akutsuki…" I blinked rapidly, not sure how to proceed. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Well…" a blush rose to her cheeks, her entire demeanor going shy as her hands started twisting a strand of hair around, eyes fixed on the ground. "I uh… was wondering if you would spend the afternoon with me…"

"Sure" I shrugged, accepting her offer. "What are your plans?"

Lighting up brighter than a tree at Christmas time, she hopped once trying to contain excitement. "Well, was thinking of going to a park, talking and doing nothing in particular and then maybe we could…"

She drowned on and on, spilling details that I had long started to tune out, but I couldn't help from smiling, her mood infectious. I took a sip from my drink before interrupting her. "We better get back to class. Gonna start soon"

She nodded, hesitating a moment before rushing forward and hugging me tightly and running off up the stairs with energy and speed I couldn't hope to match.

I started to follow after her when I was stopped by a fellow classmate, his eyes boring into my own. "May I help you?" I asked tersely, tone flat.

"Yeah. Don't go with Coda this afternoon." He responded, voice equally hostile.

I smirked a bit, relishing in his irritation. "Sorry, I don't take orders from people I don't know"

"Then consider this a warning. For your sake, and hers, go straight home after school" he pushed past me, marching up the steps without a backwards glance.

My smirk turned into an outright smile, happy to have annoyed someone simply by making a friend. Maybe more than a friend…?

'No' I stopped myself from continuing that thought. 'She will be constantly abused if we end up a couple'

'But she seemed really elated to know I would spend time with her'

'She probably just doesn't have many friends'

I let my legs carry me back to the classroom, and sat in my desk. I could feel all eyes on me as I gazed blankly into space, lost in thoughts of someone other than myself for once.

The teacher threw the door open, closing it noisily behind him. "Ok class, take out your math textbooks and open to page two-forty two. Now, who would read starting at section one?" His gravelly voice rang in the room, the noise of pages flipping the only other sound.

I raised my hand, confident in my reading ability, and peering at the person's book next to me as I was never issued one.

"No one? Guess I will have to call on someone myself then" he said, eyes sliding over me as though I were part of the background. "No one at all?"

"I would, sir" I said, lowering my hand, and shifting a little so I could see the book easier.

"Asai, do not speak out of turn again or I will remove you from my classroom for disturbing my teaching" he sat at his desk at the front of the room, eyes fixing on one person. "Hiroto, you read the first and second pages"

The kid next to me stood, pulling my only source material up with him, his soft voice barely picked up by those in the class as he was forced to utter math theory on trigonometry.

After his portion was finished he sat gratefully, shifting just so I couldn't see the open book, flipping to the next page.

"Asai. Are you capable of reading the next page?" He asked, sarcasm dripping from his words.

"I don't have a book sir" I responded, glancing around.

"That was not the question. Besides, what are you doing in class without the required materials? Surely you got the syllabus so maybe you can figure it all out somehow. Now answer my question. Are you able to read the next page?"

"No" I said through gritted teeth, seeing his intentions.

"Hmm… Asai just admitted he can't read the next page. Sad. Thought maybe you could learn at least what was taught in Primary School. Yose, continue where Hiroto left off."

I forced myself to calm down, but the snickering class made it difficult as another boy stood and continued reading. Slowly relaxing, I listened closely to every word spoken, doing my best to commit them to memory. 'Will probably look up a YouTube video later on the uses of Trig just to help' I decided.

* * *

I was kneeling on the ground, tying my shoelaces just retrieved from my locker. People bustled around, chatting idly with one another, the foyer emptying slowly as they left for the day, eager to return to their homes and to a warm meal.

Standing, I rearranged the satchel slung over my shoulder

"Hey Trinity!" I heard the familiar voice call as Akutsuki ran to my side. Her beaming face expressed her interest in the next few hours of the day, her pace matching mine as we walked.

"So I was thinking we could drop off our stuff at my house and pick it up later?" She glanced at me, inquiring.

"As long as your parents are ok with it, I see no problem." My response sent her back to smiling like a crazy person, which I mimicked, unable to help it at the sight of her happy face.

"Just wondering. Why did you pick today?" I asked her, while walking. "Why not ask today for tomorrow, so we are off school?"

"Cuz all the great places aren't open Sundays, soooo today was the only other option. Besides, why not?" She ran a little ahead and twirled facing me. "Gotta live life on the edge, take chances! If you get an urge to do something, then do it!"

I blinked rapidly in surprise. "Didn't expect you to be a life coach". I shook my head in disbelief. "Whenever I have problems at least I know who to go to."

Giggling playfully, she appeared back at my side, walking in step with me. Her house was only a couple blocks away, and she took my bag inside, quickly returning.

The streets were packed with cars, people on their commute home, sidewalks full with bustling people who chose the more leisurely method of transportation.

Turning a corner, we reached a segment of land not occupied by buildings or cars. The park was in the center of the city, a welcome change in scenery from the ironic civilized world to one much more peaceful and serene. We continued, absorbed by the nature around, this little segment left to bloom in full glory as the world outside it rushed to whatever means it considered to be right. Nature didn't care. It just made things, life, and beauty.

She dragged me by the sleeve deeper into the park, to a small clearing. It was surrounded by trees, and one couldn't hear the outside world in all its noisy glory. All that was here were her, I, and the grass. She twirled around again, smiling brightly.

I snickered a little at her antics. "What did you bring me here for?"

She blushed lightly, but held eye contact. "Well, whenever I feel overwhelmed by the world, I come here." She gazed longingly at the surrounding trees. "This place, I feel at home, at peace. Like everything is going as it should be"

"That is too damn deep" I said. When her eyes turned sad, I panicked. "Ok look, having a happy place isn't bad. In fact it's very commendable."

Perking up instantly, she smiled gratefully. "Thanks. And great save!". She quickly sat down on the soft earth, and patted the space next to her. "Sit!"

I laughed, and did as she commanded, lowering myself onto the cool, soft surface. Almost immediately, she wrapped her arms around mine, lowering her head onto my shoulder causing me to stiffen. Slowly I relaxed, the environment helping immensely. Her skin was cool, probably from the wind. 'And the nerves of being around me' I realized. 'Well, can't fault her'

Using my free right hand, I tucked some of her short cut hair behind her ear, before lowering that hand to cover one of hers. She tightened her grip on me, as though I would vanish if she let go.

"If you had a trillion yen, what would you do with it?" I asked suddenly, quietly, to not disturb her.

"Would buy a small house in the Tokyo suburbs, and put it away for my kids" she said without hesitating. "So their futures are safe. What about you?"

"Damn, that's a good one" I said. "I would probably just buy a plane ticket to every major country around the world, and see them."

"That's nice" she commented. "My turn. If you could go anywhere in time, when would you go?"

"Huh. That's hard. Would have to go with… probably to the start of today so I can relive this" I responded honestly.

"Awwwwwwwwww" she cooed, snuggling a little closer. "Fuck you, being so romantic"

Laughing, I rested my head on top of hers. "Yeah. Kinda my job now, isn't it?"

She lifted her head, looking up at me. "What do you mean?"

I stared pointedly down where she was still clinging to me. "Huh. I wonder why?" I responded, sarcasm dripping from my words.

Her confused face spread in the widest smile I have seen yet, sending butterflies through my stomach. Then she tackled me, sending me on my back as she hugged tight. "Imma never let you go!" She proclaimed, making me laugh, which in turn sent her giggling as she snuggled with my chest.

I wrapped my arms over her slim frame, holding her as dearly as she held me. "I won't either" I said softly.

She sighed. "My father used to give me piggyback rides and run through this park. I miss those days. Now he just works all the time"

An idea sprang into my mind. "Can I ask the forbidden question?"

She looked up at me. "What is it?"

"How much do you weigh? Forty five to fifty five kilos?" I asked her, thinking.

"About, yeah" she said honestly. "Why thou-"

I quickly knelt in front of her. "Climb aboard!" I commanded, ready to take off.

 **Thats that! already working on 11, but will always take criticism to heart.**


	11. authors note

**ok, first thing is first. i am alive. second. this story isnt getting updated. instead i am pulling a Failtastic belt and rewriting the whole thing! expect that to be available wiothin a week because there are alot of things i need to tweak and make better! thanks for your understanding!**


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